The human mind is like a sponge, absorbing all sorts of events that it is exposed to, and these events shape our perception and behaviour, and if these events are traumatic, our minds are unfortunately distorted, twisted into deranged chambers the soul is trapped in, unable to find a way out from the sadness and grief and fear entrenched so deeply within.In these situations, the seemingly only way out is death.

This short story by J.D. Salinger explores a portion of a day in the life of a man who is suffering from PTSD after war. It starts with his wife's perspective, who is on a phone call, listening to her mother warn her about the mental instability of her husband. We then shift point of views and meet this man, and are unable to guess what his next move will be, and who he will be harming on his way to the point of no return.

This story, despite being sad, is written in a surprisingly light tone, and the reader will be caught off guard when the dark subject matter finally hits. Despite the depth of the story, this didn't really do much for me personally, and my 2-star rating is an "it was ok", since it isn't memorable enough to be more. I still recommend it to people who would enjoy delving into this subject matter more and seeing a short glimpse of life through the lens of a former soldier with PTSD.


"Here comes a wave," Sybil said nervously.
"We'll ignore it. We'll snub it," said the young man. "Two snobs.