Franny and Zooey

J. D. Salinger explores The Quest for Spiritual and Existential Meaning through Franny’s character development. Experiencing depression over Seymour’s death, Franny decides to look for meaning outside of social norms. Although Franny’s spiritual exploration is in large part about her own self-acceptance, her search for God is also an expression of her grief.

Franny feels disenchanted with the façade of intellectualism around her, believing that her peers and professors pursue intellectual achievement only to satisfy their own egos. She makes a distinction between knowledge and wisdom, believing that academia errs in valuing the former over the latter. Zooey knows that her quest for spirituality stems from Seymour’s teachings when they were children. As Zooey eventually realizes, Franny’s pursuit of spirituality is also a response to her grief at Seymour’s death. After reading The Way of a Pilgrim, Franny believes that if she synchronizes her breathing with the rhythm of the Jesus Prayer, and if she repeats this prayer continuously, she can see God. When Zooey tells her that she should say direct this prayer to Jesus, not to Seymour or anyone else, Franny is initially hurt, but he has hit on something important. Franny’s intense desire to speak to God is in part a desire to reconnect with Seymour and to understand his suicide. Zooey implies that when Franny believes she is connecting with God, she is really seeking a connection with her brother—one that can never be realized and that will only keep her trapped in her grief and unable to participate in the world.

Initially, Zooey believes that Franny’s quest for spirituality is just as phony as a pursuit of knowledge. Zooey’s cynicism shows the opposing side of grief. His anger and bitterness prevent him from finding peace in spirituality as Franny does. Zooey pretends to hate Seymour for the way that he raised him and for his suicide, because anger is easier to face than sadness. In the conversation that concludes the book, Zooey finds empathy for his sister and abandons his dismissive attitude. He realizes that while his understanding of her motives is partially correct, her longing for spiritual authenticity is genuine. In sharing the story about the “Fat Lady,” he offers her a way to integrate her spiritual life with her life in the world. She doesn’t have to abandon academia and theater—retreating from the world and from her own talents—to focus exclusively on God. Instead, he suggests, she can find God’s presence (and Seymour’s) in everything she does.