In a message dated 97-10-06 15:33:31 EDT, you write: << why did Seymour kill himself? Who was the girl on the beach? Who was the girl in the room? and that thing about banana fish, is that some analogy for something else? Pardon my stupidity, but do I need to have read "Seymour an Introduction" or something else before I can understand this? Someone please explain. >> The girl on the beach was just a girl he met, the girl in the room was Murial his wife, as a stand alone story, its god, but it is really the cornerstone of all the other Glass stories. As to why he killed himself and the bananafish analogy, the following message posted several months ago is the best answer I've evre seen <<<I think some of you may be looking too hard for the meaning of Seymour, or at least looking in the wrong place. Salinger has told the same story at least three times. Catcher, Bananafish and the actual story Seymour tells about the fish are really the same story. There might be more, Like Esme, but I haven’t thought about it a lot. The point: Most people are able to see that the world isn’t really to be dealt with. They are either not able to see that there is so much bad, bad stuff (phony, cruel, illogical ..etc.) out there, or they can see it but they realize that if you want to be happy and comfortable you better find a way to ignore it and work around it. But, there are always some people, or fish, who can’t manage that. They see-more. They have to take it all in, or swallow so many banana’s, that they can’t let it go. People like that are in for a fall. You can’t live that way. Holden went crazy. The Fish and Seymour died. And Salinger ended up a hermit. It’s not an option, and you shouldn’t look at Seymour’s death as a suicide. It’s not like Seymour could have chose to see-less. Holden’s teacher tried to warn Holden of "the fall, Seymour tried to warn the little girl at the beach, and I suppose Salinger was trying to warn us too with Bananafish. I don’t think you’re supposed to look at Muriel as a antagonist. She was just there to provide contrast between people like Seymour and everyone else.>>>