The Way of a Pilgrim is a 19th-century Russian religious text by an unknown author. In Franny and Zooey, it symbolizes the pursuit of spirituality and keeping the wonder of the world alive. Franny tries to hide the book from Lane when she arrives because she suspects, correctly, that he won’t understand, and she does not want to defend her beliefs. For Franny, the book’s advice at first seems to offer a path to authentic connection with the divine and an escape from the competitiveness and inauthenticity she sees all around her. Franny realizes that her unusual upbringing, and her frustration with academia, has made her lose her sense of wonder. The Way of a Pilgrim shows her a spirituality that knowledge cannot explain. Although Franny becomes depressed with society not focusing on spirituality, the book makes her remember a time when she found comfort in new experiences, almost as if she is experiencing the world for the first time.

Buddy’s letter is a motif that represents nostalgia and hope. Zooey keeps the letter with him to keep his passion alive. Through Buddy’s letter, Zooey finds the words to comfort Franny and connect with her in a meaningful way. Even though Buddy at first suggests that Zooey should pursue academia so that he has a career to fall back on if his acting ambitions fail, at the end of the letter he changes his mind and tells Zooey to pursue acting if it gives him happiness.