Symbolism in The Catcher in the Rye
Like all great pieces of literature, J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye owes much of its fame to its ability to connect with the reader’s emotions. “Holden’s discontents and diatribes are infectious because we all have our irascibility and fastidiousness, and Salinger has managed to play on us by summoning up the perfect details” (Castronovo). The troubled teen story of Holden Caulfield depicts a young man unable to face his own reality. A struggle, many can relate to. Since the character isn’t able to come to terms with his feelings, Salinger uses symbols like colors, rain, and places of significance to display the emotions and values of Holden Caulfield. One of the most prominent characteristics …show more content…
Holden is always pretending like he doesn’t care, but when it rains, he is open. This connection with rain all started with the breaking of Holden’s hand.
After the death of his brother, devastated and hurt, Holden had a meltdown in his family garage. He smashed everything in sight, including all the windows, with his bare hand. He seriously injured his hand so that, as he explains early on in the novel, everytime it rained his hand ached. This ache is a constant reminder to the event that caused the break, “Allie’s death seems to have been a pivotal event in Holden’s life, and memories of Allie tend to surface at critical times during Holden’s New York experience” (Kerr).
The connection of rain and emotion happens again toward the end of the novel. Drunk and confused Holden walks around Central Park reflecting. As it starts to rain, it reminds him of his brother Allie. Twice Holden had visited his brother’s grave, both times it had rained. He begins to think about the whole concept of death. It is in this scene that Holden opens up to his more sensitive side and reveals himself. He admits “I just wish he wasn’t there. You didn 't know him. If you’d known him, you’d know what I mean. It’s not too bad when the sun’s out, but the sun only comes out when it feels like coming out” (Salinger …show more content…
Holden’s fondness for the museum reveals his desire to have things always stay the same which explains partially why growing up was so hard for him. However, although the museum reminds him of why things should stay the same, it also helps him understand that change is inevitable. As he explains how everything is always the same there he also comes to realize how it’s actually different. How every time he went back, he was older, he had new experiences that had changed him making the museum that much different. It’s then that the museum lost some of the original appeal to him, almost frightening him, and helped him mentally grow up a little more. “Then a funny thing happened. When I got to the museum, all of a sudden I wouldn 't have gone inside for a million bucks - it just didn’t appeal to me” (Salinger
Like all great pieces of literature, J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye owes much of its fame to its ability to connect with the reader’s emotions. “Holden’s discontents and diatribes are infectious because we all have our irascibility and fastidiousness, and Salinger has managed to play on us by summoning up the perfect details” (Castronovo). The troubled teen story of Holden Caulfield depicts a young man unable to face his own reality. A struggle, many can relate to. Since the character isn’t able to come to terms with his feelings, Salinger uses symbols like colors, rain, and places of significance to display the emotions and values of Holden Caulfield. One of the most prominent characteristics …show more content…
Holden is always pretending like he doesn’t care, but when it rains, he is open. This connection with rain all started with the breaking of Holden’s hand.
After the death of his brother, devastated and hurt, Holden had a meltdown in his family garage. He smashed everything in sight, including all the windows, with his bare hand. He seriously injured his hand so that, as he explains early on in the novel, everytime it rained his hand ached. This ache is a constant reminder to the event that caused the break, “Allie’s death seems to have been a pivotal event in Holden’s life, and memories of Allie tend to surface at critical times during Holden’s New York experience” (Kerr).
The connection of rain and emotion happens again toward the end of the novel. Drunk and confused Holden walks around Central Park reflecting. As it starts to rain, it reminds him of his brother Allie. Twice Holden had visited his brother’s grave, both times it had rained. He begins to think about the whole concept of death. It is in this scene that Holden opens up to his more sensitive side and reveals himself. He admits “I just wish he wasn’t there. You didn 't know him. If you’d known him, you’d know what I mean. It’s not too bad when the sun’s out, but the sun only comes out when it feels like coming out” (Salinger …show more content…
Holden’s fondness for the museum reveals his desire to have things always stay the same which explains partially why growing up was so hard for him. However, although the museum reminds him of why things should stay the same, it also helps him understand that change is inevitable. As he explains how everything is always the same there he also comes to realize how it’s actually different. How every time he went back, he was older, he had new experiences that had changed him making the museum that much different. It’s then that the museum lost some of the original appeal to him, almost frightening him, and helped him mentally grow up a little more. “Then a funny thing happened. When I got to the museum, all of a sudden I wouldn 't have gone inside for a million bucks - it just didn’t appeal to me” (Salinger