How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Section.Paragraph). Though the story has no explicit divisions, we created "sections" to make the paragraph numbers more manageable. Section one is the scene in the hotel room. Section two is the scene on the beach to the end of the story.
Quote #1
She read an article in a women's pocket-size magazine, called "Sex Is Fun-or Hell." (1.1)
This theme is introduced to the text early. Salinger gets us thinking (and speculating) about Seymour and Muriel's sexual relationship.
Quote #2
"I said he drove very nicely, Mother. Now, please. I asked him to stay close to the white line, and all, and he knew what I meant, and he did. He was even trying not to look at the trees-you could tell. Did Daddy get the car fixed, incidentally?" (1.24)
We can infer from this passage that Seymour, perhaps intentionally, drove a car into a tree. Some readers have posited that this aggression is sexual in nature.