J.D. Salinger wrote The Catcher In The Rye in 1951. The story is about an adolescent boy who has many problems, especially fear of change and growing up. Holden Caulfield is a 16 year old boy who has been expelled from school for the fourth time. Salinger uses symbolism to convey Holden’s thoughts and feelings and to describe his personality. Salinger does this because Holden is not mature enough to analyze these things for himself, and to help the reader understand him. Holden is going through a very hard time. In addition to Holden saying that he is depressed, we learn about his feelings through his behavior and the things that are important to him. The three symbols that explain Holden’s feelings are: Holden’s Red Hunting Hat, Allie’s Baseball Mitt, and the Ducks in the Lagoon. These symbols represent Holden's fears of growing up and becoming a phony adult.
The Red Hunting Hat is mentioned many times throughout The Catcher In The Rye. Holden buys a red hunting hat that he saw in a window of a sports store when he got out of the subway. He says, “I put on this hat that I’d bought in New York that morning. It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks” (Salinger, 17). He thinks the hat looks good on him. It makes him look different because it is not the type of hat that people wear in the city. This is fitting because Holden feels different from other people. The red hunting hat symbolizes this difference. The hat is usually worn for hunting, but Holden is wearing it for other reasons. Holden doesn’t want to be like other people. He thinks that most people are phonies and that they are not doing or saying what they really feel. They’re living their lives to fit in with other people and not doing what they really like. He usually wears the hat when he is by himself because it gives him comfort and reminds him that he is unique. Holden doesn’t want to look different all the time, so when he checks into the Edmont Hotel in New York after he leaves school, and decides not to go home, he takes the hat off. He says, “I took it (the hat) off before I checked in. I didn’t want to look like a screwball or something” (Salinger, 61). Holden may feel different, but he doesn’t always want to look different. The color of the hat is also symbolic. Holden’s younger brother, Allie, who died when he was eleven, had red hair. Holden’s sister Phoebe also has red hair. The red hat reminds him of his siblings who are the people he cares about the most. Later on in the story, when Holden plans to run away, he gives the hat to Phoebe. Since the hat meant a lot to Holden, he wants Phoebe to have it so she has something to remember him by. He also feels that the hat offers protection and he wants Phoebe to be protected from the adult world. Phoebe is wearing the hat when she plans to run away with Holden. She gives it back to him to protect him from the rain. The hat makes Holden feel unique, separated from the outside world and protected from adulthood. However, it reminds him of his connection to his family. Holden might want to belong, but he doesn’t know how to fit in.
The second symbol that is important to Holden is his brother Allie’s baseball mitt. Holden had a younger brother named Allie who died of leukemia when he was eleven (Salinger, 38). Allie meant a lot to Holden. He is still alive in Holden’s thoughts. When Holden was feeling afraid and felt that he was going to disappear or die when he crossed the steet unless Allie gave him strength he says, “Every time I came to the end of a block I’d make believe I was talking to my brother Allie. I’d say to him, “Allie, don’t let me disappear. Please, Allie” (Salinger, 198). Holden keeps Allie’s baseball mitt with him as a symbol of his love for Allie. Holden’s sadness over Allie’s death is one of the most important themes in The Catcher In The Rye and is the key to understanding Holden’s emotional state. Holden’s inability to deal with his brother’s death and learn how to live with his feelings of loss, is the cause of many of Holden’s problems with people and failures in school Another reason why the mitt is important and symbolic is because Allie had written poetry on it. Holden believes that writing poetry on the glove is symbolic of Allie being a special person. Holden thinks that Allie was much smarter than he is. Holden feels guilty that he is healthy and alive, while his brother, who was kinder and smarter, is dead. Holden keeps the baseball mitt hidden in his suitcase. It is so special to him, that the only person he ever showed it to is a girl named Jane Gallagher. Holden had a relationship with Jane and he liked her very much. Holden says, “I held hands with her all the time, for instance. That doesn’t sound like much, but she was terrific to hold hands with” (Salinger, 79). He still thinks about her and wanted to call her when he got back to New Yorlk. This indicates that she was very important to him and that he trusted her, so he showed her the baseball mitt.
The third example of the use of symbolism in The Catcher In The Rye is Holden’s obsession with the ducks in the lagoon in Central Park. Holden first mentions the ducks when he is saying good-bye to his teacher, Mr. Spencer, before he leaves school. He says, “I live in New York, and I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South. 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” (Salinger, 13). Holden asks a cab driver’s opinion about the ducks, but the cab driver thinks that he is weird (Salinger, 60). Later on, Holden discusses the ducks with another cab driver (Salinger, 81). Since Holden is very smart, we wonder why he asks such childish questions. The question of what happens to the ducks is a symbol of Holden’s not knowing what will happen to him now that he has been kicked out of school for the fourth time. He has no place to go now. He wonders what happens to the ducks when they have no place to go in the winter. Also, when Holden asks childish questions, they symbolize that he feels like a child inside. The ducks also symbolize change. Holden is afraid of change. He doesn’t want to change into an adult because he thinks adults are phonies. Holden admires children like his brother and sister. They are at the best stage of life. He doesn’t want to leave this stage.
Symbolism is an important part of The Catcher In The Rye. It helps us understand Holden’s thoughts and feelings. The symbols tell us how much Holden admires children and why he wants to remain a child. Holden thinks that the adult world is full of phonies and he wants to keep children from falling into adulthood. Holden’s red hunting hat gives protection from the outside world. It is also a connection to his brother and sister because the color red reminds him of their hair. Allie’s baseball mitt symbolizes Holden’s strong attachment to his brother and how much he misses him. Finally, the ducks in the lagoon in Central Park symbolize how concerned Holden is about his own future and his fear of change.