Franny and Zooey

by

J. D. Salinger

Les Glass Character Analysis

Husband to Mrs. Glass and father to the seven Glass siblings, Les Glass never actually appears in Franny and Zooey, though Mrs. Glass complains to her son Zooey that Les is failing to take Franny’s nervous breakdown seriously enough and that he lives in the past, expecting all their children—including their dead sons Seymour and Walt—to sound off on the radio like they did when they were the precocious hosts of “It’s a Wise Child.”
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Les Glass Character Timeline in Franny and Zooey

The timeline below shows where the character Les Glass appears in Franny and Zooey. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Franny 
Ego and Conformity Theme Icon
Education vs. Wisdom Theme Icon
...about her enthusiasm for Sappho. In two separate postscripts, Franny also shares that her father’s (Les’s) growth was benign and asks why she sounds “dimwitted” when she writes to Lane. (full context)
Zooey
Love and Grief Theme Icon
...that she has no idea what to do about Franny and that the children’s father (Les) is no help. She speculates that every time Les turns on the radio, he expects... (full context)
Ego and Conformity Theme Icon
Love and Grief Theme Icon
...are covered with various photos and plaques relating to “It’s a Wise Child,” hung by Les Glass. The sun shining through the windows reveals the dilapidation of the furniture. Zooey enters,... (full context)
Ego and Conformity Theme Icon
Religion vs. Psychoanalysis Theme Icon
Education vs. Wisdom Theme Icon
Art and Beauty Theme Icon
 That said, Zooey tells Franny that her breakdown is very hard on Mrs. Glass and Les and that her behavior smacks of “piousness.” Moreover, he dislikes her “blanket attack” on college.... (full context)