Through Franny Glass's spiritual breakdown, J. D.

Salinger explores issues in not

only mysticism and religion but also family, celebrity, education, and
intellectualism. Of course, the religious themes are important: By the end of the
"Zooey" section, Salinger seems to have arrived at a spiritual doctrine, to be
followed by many of his characters. Zooey Glass passes along the teachings of
their older brother, Seymour, telling Franny that she should respect and honor all
human beings even if she does not always like them. It is this concurrent lesson
of Franny and Zooey that makes the narrator, Buddy Glass, comment that the
story is about love as much as it is about spirituality--for what this doctrine asks
of its subscribers is love for all humanity.
Love is also a crucial element in the family relationships in Franny and Zooey. In
the Glass family, the children are much more gifted and intelligent than the
parents. But the children keep reminding each other that their parents must be
loved and respected for everything they are and everything they have given their
children. Even beyond love, family itself is a crucial theme in these stories. Zooey
tells Franny that they have become "freaks" because their brothers taught them
too much too young. But what their brothers taught also helps Franny out of her
spiritual crisis. Through Seymour's lessons and Zooey's impression of Buddy's
voice, Zooey channels enough support to talk Franny out of her distress.
The Glass family is special not only because of its extreme intellectualism. In
addition, all of the children were child stars on a radio talk show. Celebrity,
therefore, also emerges as a subtle theme throughout the text. Broadly, the
stories can be said to be about the results of being famous children. More
specifically, Franny and Zooey must decide whether or not to stay famous (as
actors) or leave the pursuit of fame behind.
Much of what sets off Franny's breakdown is her disenchantment with the
experience she is having at college. She hates both herself and others for the
egotistical behavior and phony conformity in which they all engage. This theme is

central to many of J. D. Salinger's works but takes a redemptive twist in Franny

and Zooey: The author seems to acknowledge that even such people, with their
huge egos and weak individual wills, should be admired and respected for their
humanity, if nothing else.

Study Questions
Throughout the "Zooey" section, Bessie keeps mentioning that the painters are
coming. Franny and Zooey additionally notice that the new paint smell is sharp,
particularly in their parents' bedroom. What significance could this new paint
have?
On one level, the painting serves to illustrate the character of Bessie Glass. She
mentions the painters because she does not know what to do with them: They
are supposed to paint the living room, but Franny has stationed herself there to
have her breakdown. Zooey makes fun of Bessie's callous emphasis on the
practical, but this is a fundamental part of Bessie's character. While all of her
children are living lives of the mind, she is keeping the family and apartment
together. After all, in her kimono pockets is every tool she could possibly need.
What Zooey might not realize is that she possibly hates this role and desires to
be a dramatic, intellectual performer. That might be why she insists on a kimono
rather than a plain bathrobe. But, because of her impractical children, she is
stuck being the grounded one. Symbolically, the paint is also significant. It
represents Franny's rebuilding of herself after her breakdown. Franny's old
paint--her spiritual beliefs--were not fundamentally flawed. Instead, she just
needed to be reminded of the way she was taught by Seymour. Therefore, the
walls of the apartment are not crumbling down, they just need to be repainted.
Before repainting, of course, one must strip away the remnants of the old paint,
which is what happens during Franny's breakdown. When she is closest to a
recovery, in her parents' bedroom, the new paint smell becomes the strongest:
She is ready to show a new face to the world.

What does Lane Coutell represent for Franny?

Lane is the kind of intellectual that is beginning to drive Franny mad. He is
egotistical: He only wants to talk about himself and his own accomplishments.
Franny is sick of this kind of self-centeredness. She wants to be around people
who are interested in other people and beauty. Lane seems to represent those
who analyze books and tear them apart so much that anything beautiful in them
is destroyed. Plus, Lane concerns himself with what other people think about
him. As the couple sits in Sickler's, he looks around happily because he feels that
he is in the right place with the right girl. Then, when Franny goes to the
bathroom, he poses for whomever might be watching. Franny must see this
strong desire to appear a certain way as conformity. Lane might not be exactly
like everyone else, but he desires to fit into an exact type.
What significance might the name "Glass" have?
The name "Glass" might be highlighting the Glass children's desire to see
everything clearly and perceptively. In other words, they would like to be looking
glasses for their era and for the human condition. But this desire to understand
spirituality and human nature distances them from most people. After all, most
people are not as reflective as they are. From this perspective, "Glass" could
indicate that between the family and the real world there is a barrier of sorts,
which everyone can see through but which is nevertheless present. And, since a
"glass" can mean a reflective surface, perhaps J. D. Salinger is commenting that
the Glasses are reflecting the truth about their society and culture. Finally, a
"glass" can also be a vessel from which to drink. Perhaps the Glasses function
as a cup to collect ideas and beliefs for the readers to sample.