Franny and Zooey

Why do you think Franny tries so hard to have a relationship with Lane? Why does she feel guilty whenever she notices Lane’s affectations?

Zooey repeatedly refers to his mother as “stupid”. Is she?

Is Franny suffering from an existential crisis, or is she suffering from depression?

Is it possible to reason your way out of the kinds of existential problems posed in Franny and Zooey? How else might you approach them?

Are the Glass “wise children” actually wise, do you think? Why, or why not?

The Glass children, like Salinger himself, look to many different religious philosophies to find answers to life’s questions. Is this helpful or confusing?

“I want to talk to Seymour.” How does the absence or death of loved ones feature in the story?

What different sorts of communication (letters, phone calls, through shower curtains) appear in the text? How does the family communicate best?

In the introduction to Zooey, Buddy insists that the story is a love story. Why is this, do you think?

What is the significance of Seymour’s “Fat Lady”? What is the significance of calling her “Christ Himself”?