Franny and Zooey

The first time Salinger uses a little girl to signal a Zen moment takes place in his novel Franny and Zooey. Zooey is reading a letter from his brother Buddy in which Buddy rambles on and on about the path Zooey should take in life. In the letter Buddy writes how at the meat counter of the supermarket he saw a pretty little girl waiting with her mother. He continues by writing that he asked the little girl how many boyfriends she had and what their names were. She responded “in a piercing voice “Bobby and Dorothy”’ (p.64). This is a Zen moment because the little girl who is so innocent and pure cannot distinguish the difference between boys and girls. The little girl had been so immersed in the moment that she knew the answer with out even thinking about it, which is the essence of Zen Buddhism.

Throughout all of Salinger’s work he makes countless references to moments of Zen. Salinger believes that if a person can find equilibrium between good and bad, and can immerse themselves in the moment, than they will be able to reach a state of Zen euphoria. Salinger uses little girls to signal the occurrence of a Zen moment. He believes that little girls represent innocence and purity, which is the epitome of Zen, thus whenever a character in Salinger’s writings experience a Zen moment, a little girl is always involved.

The final instance of Salinger using little girls to signal the occurrence of a Zen moment takes place in his short story A Perfect Day for Bannnafish. Seymour Glass is relaxing on the beach when innocent little Sybil approaches him and asks if he will be going in the water. Seymour responds by commenting on her bathing suit. He states “That’s a fine bathing suit you have on. If there’s one thing I like it’s a blue bathing suit” (p.12). The only problem with this statement is that Sybil’s bathing suit is yellow. Seymour is so immersed in the moment that he cannot distinguish the difference between the colors. This is a perfect example of a moment of

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