Symbolism in "The Catcher in the Rye"

?The Catcher in the Rye? has a lot of great symbols and meanings. Each symbol adoptms to represent a factor of H olderen?s personality, whether it is, an idea in particular, or a thing that is part of his surroundings.

One of the most noniceable symbols in the story is the vehement hunting hat. The hat symbolizes Holden?s uniqueness and his want to be the bingle who stands out from the crowd. He also uses the hat as a method to avoid people. ?What I did was, I pulled the old peak of my hunting hat around to the front, then pulled it style down over my eyes. That bearing I couldn?t see a thing.? (Salinger, 21) The way the hat looks, makes Holden contrary from the people around him, making him a lonely person, which brings a bigger issue, Holden?s desire to be left alone and the fact that he needs someone to understand him and be his friend. Something a flyspeck far less(prenominal) noticeable than the red hunting is Holden?s gray hair. Even though it is just a make up of it, Holden often uses it to his advantage when he wants to be seen as an adult, similar when he is at clubs trying to tramp alcohol or he is trying to talk to women, but at the end, it does not turn out to be what he had expected.

Other symbols include in ?The Catcher in the Rye? are ducks in the lagoon in Central super acid and the bucket along skates are grievous to the development of the story. Holden always wondered where the ducks went during the winter and he would look people and no one seemed to screw what he was public lecture about(predicate) or at least be concerned. ??You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do excrete to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? Do you find oneself to know by any chance??? (60) Holden?s desire to know where the ducks went would give him insight to his own life and where to go and what do to do when things around him got a little rough. The racing skates also have a symbolic meaning, the racing skates Holden treasured may be perceived as a way to get away from life and start from scratch one more time.

Besides the ducks in the lagoon and the racing skates, Allie?s baseball glove and the Museum of Natural History are intimately important to Holden. Allie?s baseball glove reminds Holden of his deceased jr. brother who died of leukemia. The idea that his brother died often torments Holden and when he thinks about it, his prospect on life changes. Holden feels a lot worsened about Allie?s death because he was one of the some people Holden thought was not a phony in a place where everyone around him was. Also, the Museum of Natural History is important to Holden.



Every time he went, there would be something different about him but the place would remain intact, nothing would change, everything was in the exact similar place where it was the last time he was there. This place is symbolic because it reflects Holden?s desire for things to stay the same way they are, whether they are in a crystal aspect or on the floor. In addition to that, Holden wishes things would be less complex and maybe he would be able to shape the problems in his life.

?The Cather in the Rye? contains a large weigh of symbols and meanings. Each meaning flowerpot be perceived differently, and they can point out certain thoughts and things that are part of his environment. These symbols athletic supporter to story to develop better and they also give a lot of insight to reader about what the main guinea pig is feeling.

Works Cited:Burns, Robert. Comin thro the rye. 4 Oct. 2008. The Robert Burns World Federation Limited. 11 Jan. 2009 .

Symbolism in The Catcher in the Rye. CheatHouse. 16 April 2004, 11:54 PDT. Gradua Networks. 11 Jan 2009.

Salinger, Jerome D. The Catcher in the Rye. red-hot York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 1951.

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