Franny remembers her mother's advice: "Look for the clues to life, they're hidden everywhere." What does she mean? Discuss the role of fate vs. free will in these characters' lives.

At a few key moments in the novel, including on the last page, Franny remembers her mother's advice: "Look for the clues to life, they're hidden everywhere." What does she mean? Discuss the role of fate vs. free will in these characters' lives.

There’s so much we just don’t see unless we pay attention, really pay attention. I think Franny’s mother wanted her to understand the intricacies of the life around her, to see the world beyond her nose, and perhaps to have faith. But both Franny and her mother felt they were helpless to fate, that they had no hope their actions could provide any salvation for their lives. For example, Franny went to prison and her mother died because they believed they were being moved by a force outside themselves. At the end of the book, we see Franny has learned she can make choices to move her life. We see hope.