Franny’s voyage is an inward one, into a psychological unknown. Zooey, Franny’s guide is not very stable emotionally to begin with, which confuses Franny. He, as one person, represents Franny’s ‘tempter’ on her journey as well as her ‘mentor’. The first challenge Franny must face is to convince Zooey that her breakdown is real and actual, and not just a scheme to get rid of the bothersome things in her life. As a tempter, Zooey tries to get Franny to doubt herself and her motives. He tries to get her to believe that by having a breakdown, and by wanting spiritual treasure, she is every bit as egotistical and selfish as those who yearn for materialistic or even intellectual treasure.As a mentor, Zooey reminds Franny that her concern with other people’s egos and phoniness and lack of wisdom does not give her permission to withdraw to a holy place where she will view herself in a higher light than others. He also reminds her that if she has a problem with others, the only place she can fix her feeling of destruction is in herself, as she will never be able to fix the traits of other people; the most she can hope for is having acceptance and patience.
