By Brooke C.
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger is a perfect example of the author’s ability to incorporate difficult concepts and ideas into realistic situations. Franny and Zooey is about two out of the seven Glass children and their relationship with The Way of the Pilgrim and repetitive prayer. In this novel, Salinger depicts a small section from the life of the youngest sister, Franny, and the middle brother, Zooey. Salinger creates the character Franny to appeal to the idealistic and youthful side of the religious ideal, and creates Zooey who juxtaposes his sister in his cynical and realistic comments he makes to Franny, his mother Bessie, and his older brother Buddy. Franny and Zooey not only shows the reader the relationship of the main characters, but also brings the reader into a family full of turmoil and resentment. Salinger simultaneously makes a very important statement on religion and unceasing prayer by showing its effects on all the different characters in the novel. This book also sheds light on the difficult concept that The Way of the Pilgrim talks about when it says, “Ceaseless interior prayer is a continual yearning of the human spirit toward God. To succeed in this consoling exercise we must pray more often to God to teach us to pray without ceasing. Pray more, and pray more fervently.”
