J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey Essay

Salinger’s use of the literary device of diction supports his message of craving maturity versus acting upon it. On pages 116 to 117, Salinger uses words such as “blood,”

It is the consensus of most critics that Seymour Glass is the most important character and the leader of the Glass family. This is a point that is obvious from the stories that Salinger has written about the Glass family. Seymour is looked up to and revered by all the children in the family and is his mothers “favorite, most intricately calibrated, her kindest son”(Franny 89). When catastrophe strikes in Franny and Zooey, the only person Franny wants to talk to is Seymour. Why is Seymour the most important person in the Glass family?

Salinger highlights the struggle after a loved one’s death through the protagonist, Holden, who accounts the memories of his brother Allie: “He used to laugh so hard at something he thought of at the dinner table that he just about fell off his chair. I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage. I don't blame them” (Salinger 38). At an adolescent age, Holden had to go through the tragedy of his brother's death, where he demonstrated strange behavior due to his emotional instability. Holden had ruined his friendship with Stradlater, who’d asked Holden to write him an English prompt where Holden wrote about Allie’s glove, but had disappointed Stradlater, thus Holden tore the paper. Holden became furious due to the connection Holden had with his brother, he portrayed the misunderstanding that society and adolescents have of one another after a

Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye has been into continuous dispute and controversy since its publication in 1951. Some critics think that Salinger 's narrative of the human plight is engrossing and enlightening, yet incredibly depressing. The leading character, Holden Caulfield, serves as the basis for critical discussion due to his psychological conflict. Salinger 's portrayal of Holden, which encloses incidents of dejection, nervous breakdown, impulsive spending, sexual exploration, and other wandering behavior, have all assist to the controversial nature of the novel. Yet the novel is praised by its piercing advocates, who argue that it is a critical look at the problems facing American youth during the 1950 's.

J.D. Salinger has written multiple novels, but his most famous is The Catcher in the Rye. Not only is this novel famous for its literary merit, it is also known as his most banned novel in certain schools. Even though this novel has been banned, J.D. Salinger’s themes and moralistic purposes serve literary worth.

The novella, “Zooey,” begins with the youngest male of the Glass family reading a letter that was written to him by Buddy, his elder brother. Buddy tells Zooey of a chance encounter that he had with a little girl at the butcher shop. In his conversation with the girl, Buddy discovers she has two boyfriends. He asks her for their names, to which she replies, “Bobby and Dorothy” (64). Her reply is what motivates Buddy to write his letter to Zooey. He reminds his younger brother, “that all legitimate religious study must lead to unlearning the differences, the illusory differences, between boys and girls, animals and stones, day and night, heat and cold” (67-68). In Buddy’s eyes, the little girl’s reply represents this ideology. She doesn’t recognize that there is a difference between Bobby and Dorothy; she just knows that they are her “boyfriends.” The butcher shop anecdote is

J.D. Salinger’s opinion of the world in The Catcher in the Rye shows both his hatred and fascination for the ingenuine nature of society. Throughout the novel Holden Caufield is conflicted between commenting on the “phoniness” of things around him, “a heading under which he loosely lumps not only insincerity but snobbery, injustice, callousness to the tears in things, and a lot more,”(Behrman) and the impulsive, self-loathing mentality he portrays. Salinger utilizes many aspects of his own life and displays them in the fluctuating character of Holden Caufield, showing his conflicted opinion on society. At times, he expresses his self-hatred towards the condescending attitude of the actions he himself makes. The Catcher in the Rye’s purpose is to prevent all the teenage angst and self-loathing by saving them from corruption.

“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever your felt like it.” (pg 25) J.D. Salinger writes in his book, “The Catcher in the Rye”. However, what makes this quote so interesting in this novel is that, for many people over the past 60 years, J.D. Salinger is that author to them when they read his novel. To everyone who has read the book; the main character, Holden Caulfield, is a character we can relate to on a spiritual level. Anyone can understand Holden’s thoughts and actions because the character talks directly to the reader. Unlike some other stories, when reading “The Catcher in the Rye”, the reader doesn’t feel like a third party, but rather more of a close friend accompanying the character. Unintentionally, we converse with J.D. Salinger through the story, and slowly understand what his thoughts and feelings are. It’s a powerful book, and it’s owed to how J.D. Salinger developed the characters, and

The world of adults is full of phonies and the only way to combat it is to be as innocent as a child. Today, people have become so self-interested that they fail to listen to everyone - even themselves. These are the points J.D. Salinger brings up in his novel The Catcher in the Rye. Throughout the novel, J.D. Salinger’s uses of voice, conflict, aposiopesis, irony, and metaphor emphasize these points. The Catcher in the Rye is a story of a battle to preserve innocence.

In the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist Holden Caulifield views the world as an evil corrupt place where there is no peace. Holden has a phony phobia that restricts him from becoming a fully matured adult. In Holden's attempted journey in becoming a fully matured adult, he encounters many scenarios involving friendship, personal opinions, and his love of children. His journey is an unpleasant and difficult one with many lessons learned along the way; including the realization that he is powerless to change the world.

In the novel ”Franny and Zooey”, by J.D. Salinger, Franny is Zooey’s younger sister, who seems to contradict herself quite a bit, eventually, she freaks out and has a nervous break down in a public restroom during a night out on the town. Franny’s hypocrisy affects everyone around her including herself. She continues to contradict herself throughout the book until she finally speaks to Zooey and he explains to her the jesus prayer and how she caused herself to have a nervous breakdown. In the beginning of the story, Franny was introduced through a letter she wrote to her boyfriend, Lane.

J.D. Salinger (Jerome Davis Salinger) was said by some people to be one of the best American Authors of past century. Salinger’s works reflects the many experiences he had as a child. One of the more common focuses tends to be his fascination with protecting the innocence in children.

In this novel about identity, we are reminded of how often we see ego, wishes, and desires. The specific mundane details of objects, such as the medicine cabinet, Franny’s purse, and other objects, bring out characterization of both Franny and Zooey. The objects can signify how disorderly and imperfect they both are, but are known to be these “perfect” people because they’re really good at what they do. Also, for how famous they are in their acting careers. Salinger uses objects as a metaphor for an empty devoted life, dedicated to a spiritual meaning.

Salinger, J(erome) D(avid) (1919- ), American novelist and short story writer, known for his stories dealing with the intellectual and emotional struggles of adolescents who are alienated from the empty, materialistic world of their parents. Salinger's work is marked by a profound sense of craftsmanship, a keen ear for dialogue, and a deep awareness of the frustrations of life in America after World War II (1939-1945).

In the novel, Franny and Zooey by J.D Salinger, it is overwhelmed with many themes; the novel also reveals an important message on finding ones self and dealing with the difficulties and struggles of life; these themes consist of religion, egos, and culture. Franny Glass struggles with the phoniness and egotism that spreads through society. She longs to escape her problems and decides to get away from it by withdrawing into spirituality religious values through the Jesus Prayer. She soon realizes the down fall of her solution and through her pains and challenges; she learns how to deal with social unpleasantness. Franny learns that she needs to shed her egotism and act unselfishly. The novel also has many different symbols with