Franny and Zooey Themes

Franny and Zooey initially casts egotism—or, in this case, the desire to be liked and praised—in a negative light. The first half of the narrative implies that the need to be liked or respected ends up forcing people to conform to various societal expectations that keep them from living authentically. Eventually, however, the narrative highlights the beneficial aspects of having a strong sense of self, ultimately suggesting that cultivating a certain kind of ego can…

In Franny and Zooey, religion is presented as a legitimate source of meaning and a tool for spiritual inquiry. By contrast, psychoanalysis is presented as something that ultimately risks reducing meaningful human suffering to a mere set of symptoms. By examining both religion and psychoanalysis, the narrative explores the approaches available to people experiencing existential angst or uncertainty in the modern world, ultimately hinting that religion is perhaps better able to navigate deep spiritual…

Franny and Zooey illustrates how grief often comes from deep love, but also how grief can end up preventing people from expressing love for each other. The Glass family has multiple reasons to grieve: Seymour Glass, the beloved eldest brother in the family, died by suicide about seven years before the narrative takes place, while another Glass brother, the happy-go-lucky Walt, died in an accident while serving in the U.S. army in the post-World…

Franny and Zooey implicitly argues that art ought to be beautiful—and that it can only be beautiful if it is authentic to the artist’s vision. Early in the narrative, idealistic college student Franny Glass is criticizing two poet-professors to her conventional, self-satisfied boyfriend, Lane Coutell. When Lane praises the poet-professors, Franny protests that they may produce complicated, intellectual poetry, but they aren’t “real poets” because their writing doesn’t provide readers with any beauty. Later…