Franny and Zooey Essay #4
Theological instruction is evident in both J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey and Jorge Luis Borge’s “The Gospel According to Mark.” Theological instruction is commonly passed down through generations. “It also occurred to [Espinosa] that the generations of men, throughout recorded time, have always told and retold two stories – that of a lost ship which searches the Mediterranean seas for a dearly loved island, and that of a god who is crucified on Golgotha” (Borges 3). Franny’s pilgrimage to find enlightenment parallels Paul’s shipwreck while Espinosa’s crucifixion resembles that of Jesus Christ. Theological instruction is not always straightforward. Theological instruction in both Franny and Zooey and “The Gospel …show more content…
The Gutres family stays with Espinosa due to a flooding in their home. Espinosa reads to the family out of the Bible in an effort to entertain them since they are illiterate. The Gutres misinterpret the Bible and eventually crucify Espinosa. They see Espinosa as their Savior because he gives them shelter and aid. He heals their daughter’s lamb with pills which they interpret to be a miracle similar to Christ healing the sick in the Bible. The Gutres interpret the Bible literally instead of figuratively. Espinosa has to face the consequence of crucifixion due to their …show more content…
They change Christ into someone He is not because of their misunderstanding of who He is; however, they misinterpret the role of Christ differently. Franny has the opposite problem as the Gutres family. Rather than being illiterate, she has such an expansive knowledge of Eastern religions because she was “intellectually abused” by her older brothers. This “abuse” has led to her confusion in distinguishing between the religious figures. For example, Franny apostatized when she was ten years old because she didn’t like how Jesus got angry in the synagogue. She also did not like how he valued people more than animals. Zooey points out that Franny has not been saying the Jesus Prayer to Jesus. Rather, she has been saying it to “Jesus and St. Francis and Seymour and Heidi’s grandfather all in one”’ (Salinger 166). He tells her that her efforts in saying the Jesus Prayer are futile if she does not say it to Jesus. The Gutres family misinterprets the role of Christ because of their illiteracy. They change Christ into Espinosa. They revere him for his hospitality. For example, “The Gutres, as if lost without him, liked following him from room to room and along the gallery that ran around the house…One evening, he caught them unawares, talking about him respectfully, in very few words” (Borges 3). They follow him around like Jesus’ twelve apostles.
Theological instruction is evident in both J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey and Jorge Luis Borge’s “The Gospel According to Mark.” Theological instruction is commonly passed down through generations. “It also occurred to [Espinosa] that the generations of men, throughout recorded time, have always told and retold two stories – that of a lost ship which searches the Mediterranean seas for a dearly loved island, and that of a god who is crucified on Golgotha” (Borges 3). Franny’s pilgrimage to find enlightenment parallels Paul’s shipwreck while Espinosa’s crucifixion resembles that of Jesus Christ. Theological instruction is not always straightforward. Theological instruction in both Franny and Zooey and “The Gospel …show more content…
The Gutres family stays with Espinosa due to a flooding in their home. Espinosa reads to the family out of the Bible in an effort to entertain them since they are illiterate. The Gutres misinterpret the Bible and eventually crucify Espinosa. They see Espinosa as their Savior because he gives them shelter and aid. He heals their daughter’s lamb with pills which they interpret to be a miracle similar to Christ healing the sick in the Bible. The Gutres interpret the Bible literally instead of figuratively. Espinosa has to face the consequence of crucifixion due to their …show more content…
They change Christ into someone He is not because of their misunderstanding of who He is; however, they misinterpret the role of Christ differently. Franny has the opposite problem as the Gutres family. Rather than being illiterate, she has such an expansive knowledge of Eastern religions because she was “intellectually abused” by her older brothers. This “abuse” has led to her confusion in distinguishing between the religious figures. For example, Franny apostatized when she was ten years old because she didn’t like how Jesus got angry in the synagogue. She also did not like how he valued people more than animals. Zooey points out that Franny has not been saying the Jesus Prayer to Jesus. Rather, she has been saying it to “Jesus and St. Francis and Seymour and Heidi’s grandfather all in one”’ (Salinger 166). He tells her that her efforts in saying the Jesus Prayer are futile if she does not say it to Jesus. The Gutres family misinterprets the role of Christ because of their illiteracy. They change Christ into Espinosa. They revere him for his hospitality. For example, “The Gutres, as if lost without him, liked following him from room to room and along the gallery that ran around the house…One evening, he caught them unawares, talking about him respectfully, in very few words” (Borges 3). They follow him around like Jesus’ twelve apostles.