Each author has a unique style of writing, allowing them to expose different aspects of the characters to the audience. J.D. Salinger’s focus on dialogue and third person narrative is prevalent in many of his works. Through these two styles of writing, the reader understands the relationships the characters have with each other, and how these characters interact with other people.
The book “Franny and Zooey” by Salinger relies heavily on the use of dialogue in order to understand the way the character Franny interacts with others. Through her conversation with her boyfriend, Lane, it is understood that she is going through changes that he is shocked by. Without dialogue, though, the reader would not know that Franny is changing as a person. Franny’s odd actions begin when she acts extremely distracted in her conversation with her boyfriend. They are at lunch and he is telling her about an excellent paper he wrote, and she responds with a dry, “marvelous. I’d love to hear it.” Lane proceeds to talk about his paper further, and in the middle of his discussion, Franny asks, “you going to eat your olive, or what?” (“Franny and Zooey,” 12-13). Franny’s rude and distracted comments indicate that she is in a strange mood, although the audience still cannot be sure why. This is only apparent, though, because of her interactions with Lane. Without her abruptness in dialogue, it would not be obvious that she is acting odd to other people. Instead, the reader would only see the ideas flowing through her mind, which may not seem strange in that setting.
Franny finally exposes the source of her distracted actions when her boyfriend asks what the book is that she has been carrying around. At first, she shyly defers the subject, but eventually she tells Lane the book is about a way of practicing religion, focusing on the idea of praying without ceasing. Franny tells Lane, “the starets tells the pilgrim that if you keep saying that prayer over and over again- you only have to just do it with your lips at first- then eventually what happens, the prayer becomes self-active” (“Franny and Zooey” 32-36). This is essentially the meaning of the book, but Franny continues to discuss the novel nonstop, even after Lane acts completely disinterested. Her constant, unyielding discussion of the novel reveals that this book has utterly consumed her thoughts. She is obsessed by such a way of practicing religion, explaining why she acted so distracted during her conversation with Lane. It is important to note, though, that Salinger uses his writing style to make her obsession apparent. By having Franny discuss the book with Lane, she demonstrates how outwardly fixated with the ideas she is. This would be much less effective if this was internal dialogue, because it would not seem compulsive to think about ideas in literature. Instead, Franny’s forceful and infatuated way of speaking about the book reveals how consumed she is by the novel’s teachings.
Salinger also uses third person narrative in this story, a writing style that he often employs in his works. Through this narration, Salinger reveals the physical actions of the characters in the story. For example, as Franny discusses the novel, the narrator states, “she was still looking abstractedly ahead of her, past his shoulder, and seemed scarcely aware of his presence” (“Franny and Zooey” 37). By assuming a point of view that can reveal all of the actions of the characters, the audience can not only hear what Franny has to say about the religion, but visualize how she acts while discussing the religion. In this way, the narrator shows that Franny is so enveloped by the religion that she is acting in a cult like manner in which she appears possessed by the ideas. Such disregard of the people surrounding her demonstrates the deep hold this religion has on her mind. Third person narrative also allows the narrator to show how Lane reacts to Franny’s obsession. “Lane was shifting restively in his chair, and there was an expression on his face- a matter of raised eyebrows, chiefly- that she knew very well” (“Franny and Zooey” 38). Lane’s actions demonstrate how uncomfortable Franny’s discussion and fixation has made him. Clearly, the reader can tell how alarming Franny is acting by simply reading about Lane’s actions. This is the advantage to third person narrative that Salinger utilizes, that he can reveal the reactions of his characters in an unbiased way. This creates the overall effect that the reader is in the scene, watching the characters interact with each other without the prejudice that first person narrative presents.
Without mastering such ways of writing, Salinger’s literature would not be as effective. By using these styles, he provides the audience with an impartial point of view of the story. This allows the reader to develop his or her own judgments about the characters, instead of listening to the story through the opinion of one character.
Works Cited:
Salinger, J.D. Franny and Zooey. New York
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