Franny and Zooey (1961)

In the novel Franny and Zooey, J.D. Salinger uses the Glass family to deliver his beliefs on religion and society during this time. One way in which he does this is by delivering the novel into two short stories. One deals with Franny, a young female who is at a crossroad with her beliefs, and the other deals with her brother Zooey who tries to help his sister through her difficulties. Once this book was published in 1961, it was an instant hit and made its way to the best-seller list. Over the years there were many critical essays written discussing Salinger's intended purpose for this novel. In A Preface for "Franny and Zooey" John P. McIntyre explores whether Salinger's main purpose focusing on religion was due to the fact that he wanted to prove that religion should be more spiritual rather then dealt with in society. After reading this essay, I agree with McIntyre because throughout Franny and Zooey there are several different situations which the reader can see where the novel seems to support this insight.

The first example of how the religion aspect should be spiritual is seen through Franny and Zooey's character. Both were raised with a blend of religions by their older brothers. They feel as though this has made them abnormal, which is not true, because being able to understand these different religions have helped them in several different ways. In order for Zooey to understand what is wrong with his sister he talks he needs to her. While discussing what is going on in there lives, Franny starts to explain to Zooey how she went to college in search of wisdom yet has found none. Zooey then asks her what she wants from the Jesus prayer which Franny had begun to follow. He also states that if she is hoping to gain things from it then she is just like everyone else out there. Franny later answers by telling Zooey that she is worried and she doesn't know her purpose for following these prayers. This specific discussion between the two illustrates their differences. They are individuals and by understanding these different religions and prayers, it has helped them be there own "spiritual person" rather then listening to society and being fake.

In A Preface for "Franny and Zooey", McIntyre says that "the worst they (Franny and Zooey) can say about our society is that they are too sensitive to live in it. They are the special case in whose name society is condemned. And what makes them so is that they are young, precocious, sensitive, and different. In Salinger's work, the two estates--the world and the cutely sensitive young - never really touch at all...Zooey and Franny and Buddy (like Seymour before them) know that the great mass of prosperous spirituals savages in our society will never understand them"(McIntyre 2). What is seems McIntyre is trying to say is that these characters' ideas about religion and society don't mix at all. They are two totally different entitles, and if they were to mix, then it would ruin the whole purpose of the novel itself. If these two did mix then the lessons learned through the novel would be lost. Franny along with the reader learn that it's important to honor others even if they are hard to deal with for example like the feelings that Franny has towards her college professors. Also that this separations shows that the story is about love just as much as religion and spirituality.

The next example demonstrating Salinger's spiritual focus through the prayer which Franny reads in the little green book. The book is first seen when Franny explains to Lane that this specific prayer is where you repeat the same phrase "Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me" over and over until it becomes part of you. Franny also explains that she likes this prayer because it helps purify her mind and it becomes almost like a heart beat. When Zooey helps Franny though her breakdown he says to her, "You can say the Jesus Prayer from now till doomsday, but if you don't realize that the only thing that counts in the religious life is detachment, I don't see how you'll ever even move an inch. Detachment, buddy and only detachment. Desirelessness"(McIntyre 3). In order to first understand what this statement