She's not intertwined with Seymour's soul, she wouldn't fall apart when she realizes what's happened, she wouldn't want to die herself. Perhaps that's why he chose to do it there, he knew she could take it, and that it would somehow be easier to wake up and find him gone and realize that he was gone, as the sight of him would convince her quicker than any narrated version of the suicide. It would also get her the attention that she would need to get over it, people rushing to their bedroom, trying to comfort her, somebody phoning her parents, her parents coming immediately. Karen Sorry but this semms to me to be an enormous stretch to rationalize Seymours self centered behavior. The thought that the mourning process moves along quicker because your loved one slaughters himself in front of you, ignores the reality of the trauma that such an action induces. We all love Salingers characters, and it can be hard to look at their negative side, but I think Salinger wrote in a negative side and wants us to see the whole character, good, bad, and ugly. Paul