ertainer on the Swedish Liner MS Kungsholm in the Caribbean in 1941. In 1942 Salinger enlisted in the United States Army and fought in World War II, where he eventually became a staff sergeant earning five battle stars. The time spent overseas played a major role in what would ultimately be the basis of most of Salinger's short stories. World War II is also where Salinger met one of his major literary influences, Ernest Hemingway. Although Salinger's style stems from Hemingway, their first encounter was not one that sat well on Salingers's mind. The story goes that while Hemingway was serving as an author-correspondent, he visited Salinger's regiment "and that Salinger became disgusted when Hemingway shot the head off a chicken to demonstrate the merits of a German Lager "(French 25). The incident so affected Salinger that he incorporates it into his short story, "For Esme: with Love and Squalor," with a corporal named Clay shooting the head off a cat and constantly dwelling upon the senseless act. The relationship between Hemingway and Salinger would last until Hemingway's death in 1961. Despite having a personal relationship with Hemingway, according to Harold Bloom, "…[Salinger's work actually] derives from F. Scott Fitzgerald (qtd. in "Salinger" SSC 2: 318)." Such a conclusion can be drawn for a number of reasons. First, Salinger's narrative style shows a striking similarity to Fitzgerald's; and second, many of Salinger's characters, like Holden Caulfield and Seymour Glass show a close resemblance to Fitzgerald's character Jay Gatsby. Another interesting stylistic distinction is the dependable presence of a child in a major role in the storyline. Much like William Wodsworth, Salinger appreciates childhood innocence. It is "the wisdom and spontaneity that is lost in the distractions and temptations of adult life "(Gorden 2040), that Salinger and Wodsworth both incorporate into their work. Salinger eventually became drawn to Eas...
