Zooey and Franny's conversation ends, for Franny, in tears and for Zooey, leaving the room. He goes into Seymour and Buddy's room for the first time in years. Franny is left in the living room with Mrs. Glass's declined offers of chicken soup. Buddy calls to talk to Franny. They talk about Franny's situation, and Franny complains to him about her conversation with Zooey earlier that day. It turns out to be Zooey, calling pretending to be Buddy.
idiom: "...that Zooey had, in the ready-made dramatic idiom," (p. 174) noun, a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words
beaverboard: "...a sheet of what had once been snow-white beaverboard..." (p. 174) noun, a kind of fiberboard used in building
unribaldly: "...Pascal had been unribaldly bedded down with Emily Dickinson..." (p. 175) adverb, no definition found. Synonymous guesses: undoubtedly? apparently? figuratively?
sinewy: "...all her brothers had overly vibrant, not to say sinewy, voices on the telephone." (p. 187) adj, like pieces of tought fibrous tissue uniting muscle to bone or bone to bone, tendous or ligamentlike
ballast: "The cigars are ballast, sweetheart. Sheer ballast." (p. 191) noun, heavy material, such as gravel, sand, iron, or lead, placed low in a vessel to improve its stability
After reading The Catcher in the Rye, I fell in love with J.D. Salinger's writing. This was why I chose to read this book. I love the way he crafts his sentences, scattering commas and conjunctions in places where they may not be grammatically correct, but they create voice and flow that fits the story and the author. His writing style and subject matter are subtle. While each word and each interaction are carefully chosen, then crafted into the story. The words he chooses reflect the voice. It isn't over the top, but where commas are placed and when syllables are italicized, I can hear how the phrase would have sounded as the characters were speaking. Then, there are the ideas. The way things are phrased seem to fit the characters, and convey the core message. At the culmination, all the things that have seemingly been thrown in throughout come together and make sense as Salinger craftily ends the story. For this reading response, I am going to collect my favorite quotes from this passage.
"In an instant, he turned pale -- pale with anxiety for Franny's condition, and pale, presumably, because failure had suddenly filled the room with its invariably sickening smell. The color of his pallor, however, was curiously basic white -- unmixed, that is, with the greens and yellows of guilt or abject contrition. It was like the standard bloodlessness in the face of a small boy who loves animals to distraction, all animals, and who has just seen his favorite, bunny-loving sister's expression as she opened the box containing his birthday present to her -- a freshly caught young cobra, with a red ribbon tied in an awkward bow around its neck." (p. 171) J.D. Salinger could have just said that he turned pale, and left it at that. But there are so many different shades of pale. Each shade represents something different. He could have described only in shades of color, but he did not. He also related it to different scenarios, which reflects the situation that this is used in, the ending of Franny and Zooey's conversation. The gift reflects what Zooey is saying to Franny. He means well and he is trying to help her, just like the little boy giving his sister the present. Just like when the boy sees his sister's expression upon opening the present, Zooey sees how unhelpful his talk with Franny was when she breaks down, crying. The boy feels guilty about his present, and this description suggests to the reader that Zooey also feels guilty, at least a little bit, about what he said.
"If he didn't have a cigar to hold on to, his feet would leave the ground. We'd never see our Zooey again." (p. 191) This is something that "Buddy" says to Franny. We then find out that it was actually Zooey. After Franny complains that Zooey is always smoking a cigar, this is what he says. While it's doubtful that the cigar actually holds Zooey down, it may figuratively. Maybe the cigar is the thing that keeps him grounded and in reality. This is an example of a witty and insightful thing that Zooey says. Before, he was unknowingly tearing Franny down. Maybe he did know, but now he feels bad. His self-depreciation is done to try to make Franny feel better. Maybe it is done to equalize them. Franny was just brought down, and now, with these sentences, Zooey is being brought somewhat down as well. This could be long and poetic, describing how Zooey would float above like the smoke from the cigar, swirling around in the air until he disappears, but its sharpness and length conveys the right effect. Before, when he was talking to Franny, Zooey just talked and talked. Now, his speaking is shorter. He is putting more thought into it and speaking more carefully. The length of this fits its purpose in the story, of Zooey trying to carefully apologize in the way that he is able to.
" 'I'll tell you one thing, Franny. One thing I know. And don't get upset. It isn't anything bad But if it's the religious life you want, you ought to know right now that you're missing out on every single goddam religious action that's going on around this house. You don't even have the sense enough to drink when somebody brings you a cup of consecrated chicken soup -- which is the only kind of chicken soup Bessie ever brings to anybody around this madhouse. So just tell me, just tell me, buddy. Even if you went out and searched the whole world for a master -- some guru, some holy man -- to tell you how to say your Jesus Prayer properly, what good would it do you? How in hell are you going to recognize a legitimate holy man when you see one if you don't even know a cup of consecrated chicken soup when it's right in front of your nose? Can you tell me that?' " (p. 195) This is after Zooey is revealed as Zooey and not Buddy on the phone. He's done apologizing, and now he just wants Franny to understand what he was getting at. He's trying to get Franny to see what he has discovered in his own struggle, or maybe from Buddy. She does not need to search elsewhere to make her life a religious one, but find the things in her own life that are special, like the chicken soup. It represents the love, healing, and worry of a mother. What Zooey is trying to say is that, if she refuses the chicken soup, then she is being counterproductive. She got into this mess because she was searching for a religious life, but then refuses the offers of one. This style goes back to Zooey's loose endless talking, where he says what he thinks and doesn't cut himself off until he wants a response.
"Seymour'd told me to shine my showed just as I was going out the door with Waker. I was furious. The studio audience were all morons, the announcer was a moron, the sponsors were morons, and I just damn well wasn't going to shine my shoes for them, I told Seymour. I said they couldn't see them anyway, where we sat. He said to shine them anyway. He said to shine them for the Fat Lady." (p. 199) Seymour's position in Zooey's memory as a mentor and role model is solidified with this quote. Seymour influenced Zooey more than anyone else. Now, Zooey is trying to show Franny what was revealed to him by Seymour all those years ago. Even if you think that the people you do things for are unworthy, there's the Fat Lady. The Fat Lady is why you do it. Even if everyone else is unworthy, there's always one hope. There's always the Fat Lady. Franny has lost faith in everyone and doesn't feel that they are worth her effort. Shee needs to find her Fat Lady. But who will it be?
"There isn't anyone out there who isn't Seymour's Fat Lady. Don't you know that? Don't you know that goddam secret yet? And don't you know -- listen to me now -- don't you know who that Fat Lady really is? ... Ah, buddy. Ah, buddy. It's Christ Himself. Christ Himself, buddy." (p. 200) Seymour was able to find the Fat Lady in everyone. This is different than everyone being the Fat Lady. He was able to find the Fat Lady in everyone because he believed there was a religious aspect. Zooey talks about Seymour's beliefs, but it doesn't matter whether or not those are Zooey's beliefs as well. He thinks that they could help Franny, so he is sharing them. He is trying to tell her that, in her pursuit for religious life, she has cast aside everyone. Included in this everyone is what she was pursuing the whole time.
The story ends with Franny finally being at peace with herself and with the world. Having received words of wisdom from her brother, she is able to understand and focus her pursuit. With the family's dynamics, this is good. One member of the family needs to not be conflicted. Before, that was Seymour, but his conflicts that he had overcome came back and caused his suicide. After this, I see Franny returning to school. She graduates with honors, not for playing their game, but for playing hers. I can see her marrying Lane and starting a family, then watching her own children go through the same thing. She would feel helpless, like Mrs. Glass did, but she would have the comfort of knowing that they will overcome it and turn out okay.
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