Last Day of the Last Furlough

From Bananafish

Last Day of the Last Furlough Status underpublished Original publication source Saturday Evening Post Original publication date July 15, 1944 Salinger.org rating 3.2 Previous Next Soft Boiled Sergeant Once a Week Won't Kill You

Original art from the Saturday Evening Post depicting Babe Gladwaller and his mother

Original art from the Saturday Evening Post depicting Babe Gladwaller and his sister

A story about John "Babe" Gladwaller and Vincent Caulfield at home before the go overseas to war. Babe talks about war and about his feelings for his girlfriend, Frances, in a way very reminiscent of Seymour.

He doesn't know, thought Babe, lying in the dark. He doesn't know what Frances does to me, what she's always done to me. I tell strangers about her. Coming home on the train, I told a strange G.I. about her. I've always done that. The more unrequited my love for her becomes, the longer I love her.

Deck

"Boy, use your head," the sergeant's pal warned him. "Jackie is twice the girl Frances is. Frances will give you nothing."

Recurring characters

Appearing:

• Babe Gladwaller
• Vincent Caulfield
• Matilda Gladwaller
• Mrs. Gladwaller
• John Gladwaller

Mentioned:

• Holden Caulfield
• Frances Polk
• Jackie Benson
• Helen Beebers

Trivia

• Vincent dryly refers to his ex-girl Helen's shild as "a little stranger", an apparent reference to the later story of his death, The Stranger.
• Babe Gladwaller refers indirectly to reading Anna Karenina, The Brothers Karamazov, The Great Gatsby, and Ring Lardner at the start of the story
• The story takes place in November, probably 1943
  • Vincent is referenced as being 29 years old
  • Babe is referenced as being 24 years old
  • Holden is missing and was "not even twenty" "not till next month"
  • Mattie Gladwaller is ten

Sources

• (July 15 1944) Last Day of the Last Furlough. Saturday Evening Post CCXVII: 26-27, 61-62, 64.