Franny, of course, has Zooey, and together, before that, they had Seymour, their eldest brother. But Seymour, by the time of the story, is dead by suicide, for he too has encountered the loneliness of the saint or truth seeker who exists without encouragement in this particular American landscape, and has succumbed to it. So that Franny and Zooey are somewhat alone in their pursuit of holiness or authenticity. And can now find solace only through imagination and memory, which are by no means inadequate, but which must function, in the individuals who call upon them, almost beyond their capacities to function, if those individuals are to sustain any optimism or joy, in lieu of a more sacramental existence.