Franny & Zooey

FRANNY & ZOOEY
by J.D. Salinger

 Nomination: National Book Finalist 1962

 Date Read: May 25, 2009

 Franny and Zooey are siblings in the Glass family. Franny, frustrated at the lack of authenticity and selfishness she finds herself surrounded by, attempts to escape via her spiritual life. She adopts a philosophy called "praying without ceasing," repeating the phrase "Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me" to the point where it becomes unconscious, almost "like a heartbeat."

 This prayer becomes an obsession and Franny focuses on it to the jeopardy of her own health. Zooey becomes alarmed by her behavior and, in an act of brotherly kindness, phones her to reminder her that she should "...live with optimism and love because, even if nobody else does, Jesus notices."

I can't help but draw a parallel here to The Catcher In The Rye because these characters, similarly to Holden Caulfield, are searching for and not quite finding authenticity and true connection. Salinger was well-known to have robust spiritual beliefs, embracing Zen Buddhism, Hinduism and Orthodox Christianity. Some have argued this is a tale of enlightenment as Franny progresses from ignorance to a spiritual awakening, as Salinger, via Franny, ultimately concludes that "...the phoney and the genuine equally deserve our love." And indeed they do.

 Looking Back: The Catcher In The Rye

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Magnificence

Image
MAGNIFICENCE by Lydia Millet Nominations: LA Times Finalist 2012, National Book Critics Circle Finalist 2012 Date Read: March 10, 2025 From Kirkus Reviews: “Mi llet’s conclusion of the trilogy that includes  How the Dead Dream   (2008) and  Ghost Lights   (2011) draws a detailed map of the healing process of an adulterous wife who suddenly finds herself a widow. Susan’s husband, Hal, goes to Belize in search of Susan’s employer ,T., a real estate tycoon who has gone missing. (Spoiler alert: Readers of the earlier novels who don’t want to know what happens to T. or Hal, stop reading now.) Hal’s quest is successful: T. returns to Los Angeles. But he’s alone, because Hal has been fatally knifed in a mugging. Susan is both grief- and guilt-stricken. She genuinely loved Hal but has been seeking sex with other men ever since a car accident left their daughter, Casey, a paraplegic. She believes Hal went to Belize largely to recover after discovering her infidelity. Millet’s...
Read more

Bottled Goods

Image
BOTTLED GOODS by Sophie Van Llewyn   Nomination: Women's Prize Longlist 2019   Date Read: April 14, 2022   A newlywed couple, very much in love and looking forward to their future together, become caught up in circumstances beyond their control. Alina yearns for nothing more than perfume and some Levi’s. Liviu just wants to live his life and enjoy the company of his wife and brother, who visits them nearly every night. But in the blink of an eye, the brother has sold his belongings and fled to Paris, sidestepping the oppressive regime of Ceaușescu’s Romania.    The brother’s defection puts Alina and Liviu under government scrutiny, believing that this couple know more about the brother’s plans than they are letting on. Of course, Alina and Liviu don’t know a thing but this puts stress on their marriage, pressure on their teaching jobs and tension within their family.    Alina suddenly finds herself entertaining a Secret Service agent every Tuesday, as ...
Read more

Away From You

Image
AWAY FROM YOU by Melanie Finn   Nominations: Dublin Longlist 2006, Women's Prize Longlist 2005   Date Read: July 15, 2022   Ellie left her roots in Africa and never looked back. That is, until her father dies and she is summoned to settle his estate. An abusive alcoholic, Helen, Ellie’s mother, had no choice but to leave John to keep Ellie and herself safe. But the emotional scars are still there for anyone to not see. They don’t see because Ellie never lets anyone close enough to see.    When she arrives in Nairobi, the memories come flooding back to her of her childhood growing up in a volatile Africa, on the cusp of independence but still very much living the colonial reality the British would, obviously, like to maintain. Even for those cherished by their families, the racism between whites and blacks runs rampant and was often shocking to read.   In addition to settling her father’s estate, Ellie is determined to get to the bottom of a murder she has l...
Read more