Mrs. Glass discusses contacting Waker with Zooey. Franny is still worrying her, and she hypothesizes that the book that she has been carrying around is at the core of the problem. Zooey reveals that this book is called "The Pilgrim Continues His Way". Franny wakes up and talks with Zooey about her dream, their parents, Bloomberg (their cat), his meeting with a writer about a script,
stratagem: "...the little stratagem may well have been mostly reflexive..." (p. 91) noun, a plan or scheme, especially one used to outwit an opponent or achieve an end
ablutions: "Lemme finish my goddam ablutions in peace, please." (p. 105) noun, acts of washing oneself
captious: "...she said in a tone she fully meant to sound captious." (p. 116) adj, tending to find fault or raise petty objections
sumac: "...lamps that sprang up all over the congested inscape like sumac." (p. 119) noun, a shrub or small tree of the cashew family
juxtaposition: "There, in almost incestuously close juxtaposition..." (p. 121) noun, place or deal with close together for contrasting effect
panatelas: "He had been smoking them since he was sixteen...expensive panatelas, for the most part..." (p. 124) noun, long thin cigars
corroboration: "She looked at Zooey, possibly for corroboration..." (p. 129) noun, a supported or confirmed statement, theory, or finding
supine: "...he stretched out supine on the carpet." (p. 133) adj, lying face upward
macabre: "...with somewhat the macabre-comic effect of a corpse falling out of a closet." (p. 154) adj, disturbing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death and injury
brogues: "Again only the soles and heels of his brogues were visible to Franny." (p. 154) noun, strong outdoor shoes with ornamental perforated patterns in the leather
sanguine: "High-spirited, yes. Mettlesome. Sanguine, perhaps, to a fault." (p. 156) adj, cheerfully optimistic
In the conversations between Zooey and his mother and Franny and Zooey, we learn so much more about Zooey's thoughts on the world. His conversation with his mother is just a continuation of the one from the last blog post, but his conversation with Franny is when we really get to hear what is happening. There's no maternal resentment underlying their words, but genuine sibling respect that comes only with maturity. In these conversations, this story considers the core English 1 question -- Who am I?
In this story, both Zooey and Franny are struggling with this. It seems like who they were going to become was influenced by their brother Seymour. The people around them have influenced who they are. Religious and philosophical beliefs held by Buddy and Seymour were shared, and then adopted by Franny and Zooey as they were growing up. They did not really have to find themselves, since they could just select characteristics of Seymour and Buddy and apply them to themselves. After Seymour commits suicide and Buddy retreats to living in the forest and teaching at a college, Franny and Zooey don't have the same role models that they had. They are left to find themselves, and they are struggling. Their situation and their surroundings reflect themselves. Before we read Franny and Zooey's conversation, J.D. Salinger describes, in incredible detail, the Glass Family's living room. Penetrated with sunlight, it reveals the irregularities and stains, all the things that were hidden in the darkness. Talking does the same thing. When Franny and Zooey talk, things that have been bothering them that they have kept hidden are revealed and we understand more about their past and what caused these. Through the conversations and context of the characters, who they are is revealed to us in writing.
The words they use in these everyday conversations reveal who they are. While reading this, I found many words that I didn't recognize. They weren't even words whose meaning I could confidently guess based on prefixes, suffixes, and word roots. Their word choice gives the reader a picture of who they are. They are the type of people who use complicated language, utilizing every word in their enormous vocabularies. The content of their conversations are very intellectual as well. They discuss religion and philosophy the way normal people would talk about sports or the weather. This sets them apart from other characters, both in books and real life. The words that they speak as they converse are little building blocks. If we have enough of them, we can build a character's identity. I think that this is what J.D. Salinger aims to do, bit by bit, as his meticulous word choice reveals more about Franny and Zooey.
Both characters, Franny and Zooey, are struggling with themselves. Their role models, their guides in the world, Seymour and Buddy, are out of their reach. Their vocabularies reveal the working of their minds and their intellect. I expect Franny and Zooey to continue to answer the question at the core of our own English 1, Who am I?
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