Holden Caulfield Symbolism

Symbolism in The Catcher in the Rye Symbolism is a figure of speech that is often used when an author wants to create a certain mood or emotion in a work of literature. It could be the use of an object, person, situation or word to represent something else, like an idea. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye utilizes symbolism to show the development of a struggling teenage boy named Holden. Over the course of the novel, symbolism appears during significant events and thoughts of individuals. The red hunting hat, curiosity about ducks, and visit to the museum are all symbolic. Using symbolism, Salinger creates a deeper understanding of Holden’s life, personality and his feelings of loneliness and fear. One object that has symbolic meaning …show more content…
Holden’s loneliness and fear of things vanishing is shown when he searches for answers about the disappearance of the ducks in the Central Park Lagoon. “I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go. I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over. I wondered if some guy came in a truck and took them away to a zoo or something. Or if they just flew away.” (pg. 18) Holden has a fear of change. He ponders about the ducks because it reminds him of his beloved brother, Allie. Allie’s death caused him a great deal of pain. The ducks symbolize his feeling of loss. Holden thinks about Allie a lot. On several occasions, he talked to the cab drivers, asking them where the ducks went. He doesn’t fully understand their disappearance just like the disappearance of his little brother. Also, when Holden was drunk one night, he goes to the Central Park Lagoon to search for the ducks. He was trying to find a sign of life on that lonely night. No one was there though and that depressed him because if Allie was alive, he wouldn’t feel so empty. Holden’s curiosity and attachment to the ducks represents his longing for Allie. He tries persistently to find an answer to where the ducks go when the lagoon freezes. Their return shows that change can be temporary. That’s relief for Holden because he fears disappearance and …show more content…
Holden knew the museum “like a book.” He enjoyed those school trips, recalling the Indian stuff, the Eskimo, and the glass cases. “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move. You could go there a hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo would still be. ..” (pg. 157) Every time Holden goes to the museum, everything is exactly where they were, in the same position and condition. He wonders why his life can’t be that way. He is reluctant to grow up as he states: “Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you. Not that you'd be so much older or anything. It wouldn't be that, exactly. You'd just be different, that's all.” (pg. 158) Holden hoped that Phoebe would see the same picture he did but she was different every time she saw it. It made Holden feel uneasy thinking about this. He said, “Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone.” (pg. 158) The hidden symbolism behind Holden’s thoughts is his mentality that changes in life are bad. It’s tough for him to handle adjustments. Erratic changes cause him anxiety. The museum’s displays appealed to Holden because they are unchanging even when the outside world is. He is troubled by the fact that he would’ve