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Franny And Zooey/Ripley

Patricia Highsmith's ‘The Talented Mr Ripley' and J.D. Salinger's ‘Franny and Zooey' have fundamental similarities regarding their protagonists. I intend on comparing Zooey Glass and Tom Ripley and observe the similarities between them, examining their character flaws both individually and in relation to those around them.
I must begin with highlighting the flaws of both characters in order to compare them. Firstly, Zooey Glass; on the surface, is harsh and short tempered. However, once we have been introduced to Zooey and have become accustomed to his mannerisms and penetrating approach to conversation we begin to identify him as destructive to such a dramatic degree that it is, at times, difficult not to hate him. When examining Salinger's protagonist in hindsight I am fully aware, due to the author's direct acknowledgment of Zooey's traits, how and what he is doing. The story reaches its climax during a conversation between siblings Franny and Zooey and it is here we are witness to Zooey's self-analysis of his character, "I make everybody feel that he doesn't really want to do any good work". Zooey is aware of his destructive tendencies and concludes, "it's wrong". We see his discontent regarding himself and the life around him and watch his frantic dismissal of everyday life trivialities in addition to the large-scale over analysis, pessimism and consistent hostility towards other characters, e.g. Bessie. Salinger originally had ‘Franny' and ‘Zooey' published as separate components of the ‘Glass Family' stories in the New Yorker magaZine, and it is for this reason that I am addressing only ‘Zooey' as a single text. Although Franny is equally important as an individual character, when examining Zooey –as I am taking Zooey to be more extreme in his flaws and a more complex one in his understanding of them (a trait which Franny does not posses) – she should only be addressed in relation to how Zooey interacts with her and she with him,...

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