Franny And Zooey Sparknotes

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger is a story that focuses on the Glass family’s issues. Franny is going through a major break down while in college and her so called “boyfriend” who pays no type of good attention to her is no help. After Franny read a book called “The way of a Pilgrim” she was engrossed by the “Jesus Prayer”. She comes back home to have her older brother Zooey lecture her about the right way to go on with her prayer. Overall, the Glass Family shows kindness towards each other but they also can be rude at times. Despite them acting like an affectionate family towards one another, the topic that’s most talked about is religion, specifically Christianity. The book is more focused on religion than it being a love story.
The book
Seymour and Buddy wanted Franny and Zooey to know God before he said “let there be light”(Salinger 65). The two thought it’ll be a good idea to hold back the light from Franny and Zooey. Instead of them getting exposed to limited things, it would have been best for their minds to know the source of all light. By “the source of all light” the brothers meant they wanted them to know about saints so their minds would be more opened about religion. Franny and Zooey didn’t get to learn much about love and how to show it well when they were young because, that was not Seymour or Buddy’s intentions. The best way for Franny and Zooey to be raised was for them to first refrain from liking or disliking something. This way, they open their minds on everything allowing them to know the source of all light. “All legitimate religious study must lead to unlearning the differences between boys and girls, animals and stones, day and night..”(Salinger 67). In addition to them being able to study religion, they have to learn how to not judge using liking and disliking or love and hate. Franny and Zooey’s religion philosophy came from their childhood way of learning. As kids they never got a huge learning or explaining on how to love or when to know you love