In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, author J.D. Salinger uses several motifs, one being a red hunting hat. Through the novel, Salinger emphasizes the "phoniness" of adulthood, through the eyes of the 17-year-old narrator, Holden Caulfield. Holden is a rebellious teenager who hates adults, doing his best to exclude himself from society in all ways possible. In a way, Holden feels that by isolating himself from society, he would be protecting himself from all the mishaps and responsibilities of adulthood and would not have to care about anything in the world. Holden's refusal to growing up and exclusion from society lead him to create a notion in his mind that he wants to stay a child forever and restrict other children from growing up as well …show more content…
This idea in his mind symbolized Holden's impression to save child from growing up and becoming "The Catcher in the Rye". Holden’s isolation makes him become lonely; his loneliness causes him to talk to his little brother Allie, who was a big part of his life up to the day Allie died from Leukemia. After getting kicked out of his 3rd private school, Pencey Prep; foolishly spending time and money in New York City; and spending some time with his little sister Phoebe, Holden realized that his idea of being a "Catcher in the Rye" is foolish and ridiculous. This realization causes Holden to have a mental breakdown, which causes him to go to a mental hospital to get medical treatments. By using the motif the red hunting hat in the novel, Salinger gives proof of alienation as a form of self- protection because he reveals how Holden tries to ignore reality, find safety, and be …show more content…
I was sort of crying. I don't know why. I put my red hunting hat on, and turned the peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I yelled at the top of my goddam voice, ‘Sleep tight, ya morons!’"(). This quote is significant because even though he got into a fight with his roommate and expelled from Pencey Prep, he felt depressed and ran away to New York City. He wanted to avoid getting scolded by his parents. As a result, Holden put on the hunting hat as a to forget the situation and as a way to clear his mind. This scenario shows how Holden ignores reality as a form of self- protection from
In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, The main character Holden, is a lost individual that has certain people that have immense impact on his life although they never appear in the novel. Holden’s Journey starts when he runs away from his school and travels to New York City. In the city he has many experiences with girls and other people that eventually make him realize home is where he needs to be. Holden finally decides to go home to his family and especially to see his sister, Phoebe. Allie and Jane are two characters that Holden talks in thinks about a good amount in the novel, and because of it they impact his thoughts as well as his behaviors throughout his time in New York City, and in the novel as a whole.
In J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in The Rye Salinger writes about the main character Holden Caulfield and his life. Holden is a teenager who comes from a wealthy family, he loves his family and lives very happy until the death of his brother Allie. After his brother died Holden becomes troubled, being kicked out of school again and again developing a negative view of the world. Holden throughout the book shows anger,denial, and acceptance over the loss of his brother.
In Catcher In The Rye, Holden's red hunting hat symbolizes his true self by how he wears it, how it is aesthetically connected to him, and how it develops through the story with him.
Holden’s Borderline Personality Disorder is caused by trauma and neglect during his childhood, and separation from family, all mostly circulating around the death of his younger brother, Allie (“Mayo Clinic”). Holden had a very traumatic childhood, because of the death Allie, who he constantly conveys his love and devotion to his dead brother. Holden, often does not seem to grasp that Allie is dead, and seems to bring out Allie’s spirit in objects. The red hunting cap, reminds Holden of Allie, because it is also red like Allie’s hair, Holden also carries this hat with him through the novel (Salinger 17). Another thing Holden carries with him that reminds him of Allie is Allie’s baseball mitten, Holden admits “to have it with me, in my suitcase” (39). This baseball mitten, seems to be the only thing of Allie’s that Holden owns, and reminds him fondly of who and how Allie was as a person, Holden admitting that it was in his suitcase, tells us that he travels with it and that it is a ...
J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye tells an unforgettable story of teenage angst by highlighting the life of Holden Caulfield, a young boy who commences a journey of self-discovery after being expelled from his private boarding school. Throughout the novel, Holden struggles with issues such as self-identity, loss, and a wavering sense of belonging. Holden’s red hunting hat is consistently used throughout the story as a symbol of his independence and his attachment to his childhood.
In “The Catcher In The Rye”, J.D. Salinger uses Holden’s red hunting cap, the exhibits at the Museum of Natural History and “kings in the back row” as symbols whose meanings help tell the story. Holden’s red hunting hat stands for Holden’s disapproval of adult society and phonies. Although, Holden and his hat are out of place in New York, he loves this hat because it demonstrates his difference and independence from other kids his age. He becomes more and more attached to his hat because he feels like a catcher in the rye when he wears the hat. Holden cannot let go of his hat, like he cannot let go of his childhood.
However, his feelings suggest that the true reason for his depression is his loss of Innocence. When he was 13 years old, he lost his little brother Allie to leukemia. Allie meant a lot to Holden. He even becomes a symbol in the book. Allie is the one who keeps Holden from falling of the cliff, he’s the reason that he hasn’t lost his innocence yet. “Every time I came to the end of a block and stepped off the goddam curb, I had this feeling that I'd never get to the other side of the street. I thought I'd just go down, down, down, and nobody'd ever see me again. Boy, did it scare me. You can't imagine. I started sweating like a bastard—my whole shirt and underwear and everything. Then I started doing something else. Every time I'd get 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. Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear. Please, Allie." And then when I'd reach the other side of the street without disappearing, I'd thank him.” (Sallinger) In this part, Allie plays the role as the Catcher in the Rye and keeps Holden from falling of the cliff. This is why i believe that Holden wants to become a “ Catcher in the Rye”. He wants to help people like Allie has helped him. He feels that it's what he’d meant to do with his
Holden is a pessimistic, remote, and miserable character and he expresses this attitude through dialogue, tone, and diction. Throughout the book he has remained to be a liar, a failure, a loner, and lastly, a suicidal guy who feels like he has no purpose in life. Perhaps Salinger expressed his perceptions and emotions of his teen years in this book and it was a form of conveying his deep inner feelings of his childhood. Readers can see this clearly shown in The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger.
Although Catcher in the Rye was written over 60 years ago, Holden Caulfield is still a character that many teens can relate to because of his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms, his need to rebel and his loneliness. Because of the death of his younger brother, Allie, Holden shows many signs of grief and PTSD including self harm, alcohol abuse and aggression, things that many people can relate to in one way or another. For example, when Holden is in his hotel room, he ponders the idea of suicide and tells the reader, “What I really felt like, though, was committing su...
Holden Caulfield, the teenage protagonist of Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, struggles with having to enter the adult world. Holden leaves school early and stays in New York by himself until he is ready to return home. Holden wants to be individual, yet he also wants to fit in and not grow up. The author uses symbolism to represent Holden’s internal struggle. While in New York with the fencing team, Holden loses all of their equipment, then buys a red hunting hat.
At first glance, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye simply tells the story of Holden Caulfield, who is often characterized as annoying and whiny by the people around him. The anti-hero frequently speaks on impulse, making quick and often inaccurate observations of others. Holden’s immature and overly critical attitude turns off those he encounters, who are displeased with how callow he is. However, what these characters fail to understand is that there is actually a sort of sophistication behind Holden’s reasoning. In fact, throughout the novel, Holden disguises his maturity through outward displays of childishness.
Holden’s red Hunting hat was very crucial to him as he bought it in New York on the Saturday morning that he visited. The hat is the center of attention for Holden as many people such as Ackley ask about the hat. Holden only puts the hat on at crucial moments in his life such as writing the composition for Stradlater, leaving Pencey Prep, and acting confident in front of the mirror. “It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks. I saw it in the window of the sports store when I got it out of the subway...it only cost me a buck” (17). In the novel, Holden also wears the hat when he leaves Pencey Prep as he says “Sleep tight, ya morons”. In the novel, it can be noted that Holden doesn’t like to wear the hat outside as
Some people have special tokens in their lives, which they hold dear to their hearts. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger shows Holden Caufield’s special object to be his red hunting hat, which he bought at a local store for a dollar. This hat holds symbolic meaning throughout the novel. Although it simply is a red hat, in The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger shows that it is so much more, for it acts as Holden’s security blanket, allows him to show his inner confidence, and his homesickness throughout the novel.
In J.D. Salinger’s controversial 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main character is Holden Caulfield. When the story begins Holden at age sixteen, due to his poor grades is kicked out of Pencey Prep, a boys’ school in Pennsylvania. This being the third school he has been expelled from, he is in no hurry to face his parents. Holden travels to New York for several days to cope with his disappointments. As James Lundquist explains, “Holden is so full of despair and loneliness that he is literally nauseated most of the time.” In this novel, Holden, a lonely and confused teenager, attempts to find love and direction in his life. Holden’s story is realistic because many adolescent’s face similar challenges.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s vision of nature of childhood and adulthood are not as separate as Holden believes them to be. Holden tries to battle through the pressures of adulthood while staying in his childish frame of mind. He feels that if he acts childish, he can go back to that. He also feels the need to be an adult and do his own thing. Holden is at war with himself trying to see what he really is- a child or an adult. Although, Holden thinks he is being an adult by drinking and smoking, he is actually becoming more childish.