Finding Identity In J. D. Salinger's Franny

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Anke Dumoulin English Literature I Tine Kempenaers Wednesday 14:30 The green book as a representation of finding an identity in J.D. Salinger’s Franny In the short story Franny, the motif of the small, green notebook, filled with spiritual content, provokes the theme of finding an identity. The book represents Franny finding meaning in spirituality and using that to answer the question of who she wants to be. From the beginning of the story, there is a tension between Franny and Lane: “‘I've missed you.’ The words were no sooner out than she realized that she didn't mean them at all.” Lane too has his doubts about their relationship: “It was very clear that the sense of wellbeing he had felt, a half hour earlier, at being in the right place …show more content…

This could be because she is trying to pretend to be like other girls, to fit in, to satisfy Lane and not cause any trouble. Further on, Franny asks whether Lane wants his olive, and when she gets it, she realizes she didn’t really want it. This represents how she struggles with finding out what she wants, who she is supposed to be. The book, which stands for spirituality, might be a way for her to express herself. It is a “whole new conception of what everything’s about.” Franny expresses her disgust for people who want to stand out, to do something distinguished. She longs to be someone who has the courage to be a total nobody. Furthermore, the aversion against Lane’s appearance is also made: she compares him to a ‘section man’. That is, according to her, someone who wants to sound so brilliant, but while doing so, is destroying everything that is beautiful. Again, the need of Lane to ‘rationalize’ everything is emphasized, while this trait is opposed to who Franny wants to be. Eventually, the green book represents the answer to Franny’s question of who she is. That answer is, not a logical person like Lane is, but a person who does not pay attention to ego and appearance. She wants to be someone who finds value in spirituality and like that, find her purpose and

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