Failed Relationships

One central theme in all three of the short stories is failed romantic relationships. In "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," the relationship between Seymour and Muriel is slightly short of a success, given that Seymour kills himself. In "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut," Walt, the man Eloise loves, dies, and Eloise therefore marries Lew, a man she does not love and has no respect for, and this marriage makes her miserable. Mary Jane also has bad luck with marriage, as she is married to a soldier for all of three months, during which time he gets in jail for stabbing another man. Even Ramona doesn't do to well with relationships. Jimmy Jimmereeno gets "runned over" and then Eloise forces Ramona to kill Mickey Mickeranno by making her roll onto him. In "Just Before the War with the Eskimos," Franklin tries to start a relationship with Joan, but she completely ignores him when he sends her letters. In all three short stories, relationships end in dismal failure.