Literature portrays the past, the present, or even the future. Through different themes, and author of any literary work can portray anything about society at a particular time. The dominant themes in a particular literary work communicate much to the readers about a particular time that the author focuses on. J.D Salinger’s “Nine Stories” depicts many mental problems post-WWII through his work, especially with men. However, most men did not seek the help they needed while facing these problems—post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, etc. Most did not go to therapy or reach out to someone, as shown in the Nine Stories. This can be compared to post-pandemic 2022. Men post-WWII and post-pandemic did not get the help they needed mentally.
While COVID-19 led to most men who are breadwinners to their families experiencing loss of income due to lack of job opportunities, the veterans’ mental health issues are portrayed in J.D Salinger’s “Nine Stories” in a way much worse than the experiences of men in 2022. The author of “Nine Stories” portrays the veterans as sensitive and neurotic people who seek love unsuccessfully. The veterans experience hypocrisy, egotism, and phoniness, which worsens their mental health because instead of being given the attention and appreciation they deserve, they are often disrespected. Clay is a veteran. Despite having a girlfriend who is a psychology major, Clay does not get the necessary help from his girlfriend that a person with her expertise would give to a person experiencing the same (Salinger, p.17). The way the girlfriend handles Clay after killing the cat makes the readers question her qualifications as a psychologist.
J.D Salinger’s “Nine Stories” mainly revolves around the mental issues that veterans usually experience. Seymour Glass experiences disrespect and egotism from his wife and his mother-in-law as they write selfish civilian letters to the American Soldier instead of showing some love considering that he risked his life for the safety of American citizens, including themselves. Seymour’s wife is too insensitive and does not show love to Seymour glass when he needs it. The failure to get some love from the one closest to him is the major reason why he commits suicide (Filipelli, p. 45). Franklin is portrayed as too sensitive. After witnessing the war, he seems afraid of facing the same situation again.
The intensity of mental issues hits more soldiers involved in war than ordinary people. While taking a life might seem so easy, it is not as easy as how it is portrayed in films. Even though in most instances, soldiers are forced to take life for a good cause, such as protecting others or protecting themselves, the consequences of taking that life usually affect them negatively afterwards, especially when they return from war. J.D Salinger’s “Nine Stories” portrays men as individuals who do not value counselling. Even today, only a few men show up at guidance and counselling institutions. Men still do not value guidance and counselling despite it being proven to be helpful for people experiencing mental issues. Currently, men usually show up at these institutions mainly because they are forced by the agency they work for or by a loved one. It is not usually until they see the positive effect these institutions give to those in need of their services that they yearn for more. In J.D Slinger’s “Nine Stories”, no one cares about guidance and counselling. Despite the people close to the veterans knowing that they need intervention, no one refers them to a counsellor. It is ironic that Clay’s girlfriend majors in psychology, yet instead of helping him, she criticizes him.
With the pandemic affecting all people across the globe in one way or another, the statistics of the mentally ill people during the pandemic were way more than the statistics of the mentally ill during post-war. The intensity of mental health issues is more for people who have experienced a war than those who have experienced the pandemic mainly because soldiers or civilians involved in war face a life a death situation. Besides, soldiers usually experience serious mental health issues mainly because of the trauma and the guilt of taking a life even when the life had to be taken for the greater good. As for the post-pandemic, the mentally ill experience mental issues that are not as serious as those of people who have experienced war. Most of the mental health issues after the pandemic were mainly due to the inability to afford basic needs due to lack of income. The pandemic led to the closure of several firms and led to most employees being cut off. These former employees were forced to exhaust their savings to meet healthcare needs and basic needs during the pandemic. The uncertainties surrounding them about the future subjected many to depression and other mental health issues (Kovacevic, no pg.). However, mental health issues were high for those who lost their loved ones as a result of the pandemic.
Works Cited
Filipelli, Ceasare Joseph. “The Pleasantly Problematic Nature of JD Salinger’s Glass Family Stories.” (2015).
Kovacevic, Rialda. “Mental health: Lessons learned in 2020 for 2021 and forward.” (2021).
Salinger, Jerome David. Nine stories. Little, Brown, 2019.
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