Laura’s Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Franny, a short story, was originally published in The New Yorker in 1955 and Zooey, a novella, was published in 1957. They were published together as a book in 1961 and spent 26 weeks at the top of The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers list.
The Analysis:
The title character of the short story, Franny Glass, goes to visit her boyfriend, Lane, at his college for a big football game. At lunch, Lane drones on about his academic opinions and Franny becomes bored and frustrated by what she perceives as inauthenticity among both her and Lane’s friends, professors, and academia in general. She tells a bewildered Lane, “I’m sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody. I’m sick of myself and everybody else that wants to make some kind of a splash.” The one thing that Franny is actually interested in is a spiritual book entitled The Way of A Pilgrim; but Lane can’t seem to pay attention in the slightest as she begins to explain it. Point of personal preference: I’m a bit tired of reading about disenchanted rich (or relatively privileged) people. I did find Franny to be more interesting than Zooey, but unfortunately, it was the shorter of the two works. I think there is more to explore with Franny’s ideas about selfishness and conformity, especially within the context of higher education. Are people pursuing knowledge for the right reasons and are they actually benefiting from it? Should people be content with being average or is it necessary to strive to be remarkable?
Zooey Glass is the older brother of Franny (from the first story) and the second story begins with their mother fretting about Franny, who is having a mental breakdown in the Glass Family living room. After verbally berating his mother for her worrying and meddling, Zooey gets dressed and heads to the living room. He proceeds to give his version of helpful advice, which is more like an opinionated lecture. Zooey questions Franny’s motives for turning to her spiritual “Pilgrim” book and actually accuses her of being selfish in her quest to escape selfishness and insincerity. After upsetting his sister, he retreats to his older brother Buddy’s room and calls Franny, pretending to be Buddy and offering words of comfort and encouragement. In response to the themes of Franny, Zooey asks: is seeking enlightenment and simplicity any less selfish than seeking fame and prestige? Should people be admired for their accomplishments or their simple humanity?
These stories were simply fine. I didn’t hate reading them and some parts interested me, but I wasn’t wowed by them either. There isn’t much for me to unpack without essentially spoiling each story. I do think that underneath the simple stories on the surface, there is a lot to think about and each story could spur a longer discussion on various points. I wouldn’t try to stop someone from reading Franny and Zooey but I wouldn’t give it a glowing recommendation.
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