J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye, is generally discerned as the story of a sixteen year old boy, known as Holden Caulfield, who struggles to find peace after his brother’s death. Holden wanders aimlessly around New York in the winter for two days and attempts to save children from falling into adulthood and becoming what he calls, phonies. He, generally, will settle until genuine feelings are shown, which leads to his running away. Salinger captures the significance of Holden’s late teenage experience through various symbols. One of these symbols is the catcher in the rye, which references the title and what Holden truly wants to be. Another symbol is Holden’s hunting hat, which he wears quite often throughout the novel. Lastly, Holden
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Many interpretations have been assigned to this symbol. For instance, this hat can be seen as a symbol of individuality. Holden states, “… you could see that hat about ten miles away” (Salinger 205). This quote portrays Holden’s hat as a very bright and vibrant red, which just happens to be the same color hair as his favorite siblings’ hair. Those siblings being Allie, who died of Leukemia and Phoebe. Whereas, the world as Holden sees it is not as much black and white, but more gray. Consequently, the hat demonstrates Holden being different and a genuine individual. Holden also puts the hat on and takes it off at certain times throughout the novel. The way he puts it on also varies throughout. It seems that Holden wears the hat forward when he is nervous or uncertain. While still in his dorm room at Pencey Prep, Holden wants to read without disruptions or when he fought with Stradlater. The hat was something that Holden could confide in. Lastly, Holden wears his hat at random times to feel like a child or an adult. Holden notes, “I took it off …I didn’t want to look like a screwball” (Salinger, 61). Holden tends to attempt to recede in terms of aging. For instance, when Holden talks about a screwball, he may be referring to a child which he might not want to be in a serious situation. Whereas, he would want to be a screwball, in more loose situations …show more content…
Salinger in The Catcher in the Rye include the catcher in the rye, the hunting hat, and ducks. The catcher in the rye is depicted in this novel as the savior and lover of all children because he saves them from the impurities of the world. The hunting hat is worn throughout the novel in various ways and for various reasons. The migration of ducks flying south are important because they symbolize Holden’s life pressures and challenges. To fully understand and appreciate its immense symbolic value, J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye’s symbolic structure must be
Many interpretations have been assigned to this symbol. For instance, this hat can be seen as a symbol of individuality. Holden states, “… you could see that hat about ten miles away” (Salinger 205). This quote portrays Holden’s hat as a very bright and vibrant red, which just happens to be the same color hair as his favorite siblings’ hair. Those siblings being Allie, who died of Leukemia and Phoebe. Whereas, the world as Holden sees it is not as much black and white, but more gray. Consequently, the hat demonstrates Holden being different and a genuine individual. Holden also puts the hat on and takes it off at certain times throughout the novel. The way he puts it on also varies throughout. It seems that Holden wears the hat forward when he is nervous or uncertain. While still in his dorm room at Pencey Prep, Holden wants to read without disruptions or when he fought with Stradlater. The hat was something that Holden could confide in. Lastly, Holden wears his hat at random times to feel like a child or an adult. Holden notes, “I took it off …I didn’t want to look like a screwball” (Salinger, 61). Holden tends to attempt to recede in terms of aging. For instance, when Holden talks about a screwball, he may be referring to a child which he might not want to be in a serious situation. Whereas, he would want to be a screwball, in more loose situations …show more content…
Salinger in The Catcher in the Rye include the catcher in the rye, the hunting hat, and ducks. The catcher in the rye is depicted in this novel as the savior and lover of all children because he saves them from the impurities of the world. The hunting hat is worn throughout the novel in various ways and for various reasons. The migration of ducks flying south are important because they symbolize Holden’s life pressures and challenges. To fully understand and appreciate its immense symbolic value, J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye’s symbolic structure must be