Catcher In The Rye Color Analysis

J.D Salinger uses color within the book Catcher in the Rye to help him establish and bring out themes appropriately. Color is a good symbolic element in books because characters often go through many physical and emotional changes that color helps represent. In the entirety of the book, Holden is symbolized by many different colors because of his actions and emotions. J.D Salinger used the colors red, green, blue and yellow throughout the book to symbolize different events that took place. For example, Holden’s red hunting hat, shortly after getting out of the subway early in chapter 2, Holden sees a very strange looking hat in a sports store window. He knows it is a strange hat to wear around town, but he buys it nonetheless because it would …show more content…
Holden was able to recognize the song and complimented the little boy mentally, that made him feel better. It made him feel not so depressed. After listening to the child, the quote came directly about Holden. It demonstrates that he is comforted when seeing the innocence and purity of uninfected kids in society being maintained. This childhood innocence is what Holden seems to long for later in the novel and what he strives to protect in others. It is his true goal and it is revealed towards the tail-end of the book. He wants and longs to be the catcher in the rye. It is used metaphorically meaning Holden envisions thousands of little kids playing in a big field of rye with no adults, besides them, being as free as birds. He also envisages that if they should come too close to the edge of the cliff or fall by accident, he will be there, almost like a superhero to catch them. He will be the catcher in the rye. He longs for authority and power that is …show more content…
This shows how much he is struggling with his life considering where he wants to be. He wants to save himself from falling into adulthood and be a part of that world, of pretenders and cruel people. While innocent and naïve, he is shown his chain of thoughts. Holden sees innocence in people that are coming of age and those that did not even reach the double digits in life. Ironically, Holden himself never had sex or any sexual intercourse with anyone. For all that Holden seems so obsessed with protecting little kids and their innocence, the real innocent person in the novel may just be Holden