Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye

630 Words2 Pages

Rahul Mohan MohanAnderson1 Peter Anderson Mrs. Crase English Period 4 5/8/14 “Hunting” for Childhood "Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me... I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all." 173 Each and every one of us imagines a place and situation where they are happy and needed. Holden, the main character in J.D.Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, always lives in this imaginary place. We all look for support from others to cope with the challenging circumstances in our life. Holden's support is the red hunting hat. The red hunting hat is mentioned quite a few times, following a pattern, suggesting that it is not just a piece of his attire, but an important motif and symbol. When Holden gives his hat to Phoebe at the end of the book, he says "don't let me disappear" 198 looking up to his dead brother Allie in the sky. The passing of the hat is symbolic of his desire to protect his sister with his prized hat just as he imagined that the hat protected him. Holden's red hunting hat also symbolizes the fight between himself, wanting to remain a child forever, using all the protection it offers, and his lingering desire to enter the adults' world. First, when Holden watches Phoebe go around in the carousel, it starts raining and he himself admits that his "red hunting hat really gave [him] a sort of protection, in a way" 212-213. Holden's hat symbolizes protection from childhood - not just from the sun or weather. Interestingly, Holden likes to wear the hat backwards. There are many special occasions where Holden wears the hat. For example, he wears it when he is writin... ... middle of paper ... ... stand out through his hat - if someone doesn't like him it will end up being his hat's fault and not his own. Holden uses the hat as an excuse for being different while also trying to fit in. MohanAnderson3 In conclusion, Holden grows as a person through the many life experiences described in the novel. Through all these life experiences, the red hat is always with him. Ultimately, Holden realizes that even if it is not possible to remain a child forever, his red hunting hat can still help him in the transition to adulthood. Phoebe puts the red hat back on Holden at the end of novel since she wants to make it easier for him to forget about being a child with the help of the red hunting hat. The red hunting hat helps him to come to terms with himself . Works Cited Salinger, J. D. The catcher in the rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1991.

Phoebe's Trauma In Catcher In The Rye
1448 Words | 3 Pages
First and foremost, Holden gifted Phoebe with his red hunting hat as a demonstration of his need to protect her “Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it to her. She likes those kind of crazy hats. She didn’t want to take it, but I made her” (180). In this quote Holden and Phoebe are dancing around, and Phoebe feels like Holden is acting crazy yet she refrains from judging him. Instead Phoebe wants to support him. To Holden, Phoebe is in no way phony, and in handing over his hunting hat he is trying to protect her, and in doing so he is giving up the protection from himself. Holden’s mission to defend Phoebe is rooted in wanting to protect her innocence’s, and keeping her from becoming phony like the rest of society. Moreover, Phoebe also looks to Holden to protect her not just the other way around “Then what she did- it damn near killed me- she reached in my coat pocket and took out my red hunting hat and put it on my head” (212). In Phoebe, giving Holden back his protective hat, she is forcing Holden to watch over her. In order for Holden to protect his sister’s innocence, he will be forced to give up his alienation and be realistic. Holden’s loss of innocence is his driving power to shield Phoebe from the realities of life. The exchange of the red hunting hat from Holden to Phoebe to Phoebe to Holden is the
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Holden’s Red Hunting Hat and it’s Symbolism
1456 Words | 3 Pages
... as he sits in the rain, reflecting on his hat he says, “My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way, but I got soaked anyway” (213). Holden realizes that while his hat fails to give him protection from the weather, it did help him grow up. It did this by letting him express his emotions, and then by letting him give it up.
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Holden Caulfield Nihilism
2468 Words | 5 Pages
In the beginning of the novel, Holden believes that the world is out to get him, so he alienates himself for protection. A way to do so, he brings forth his hunting hat, “‘This is a people shooting hat,’ I said. ‘I shoot people in this hat.’” (Salinger, 22) Holden’s hunting hat is the strongest symbol in the novel. It gives Holden protection from people who could be potentially harmful to him. Whenever he is afraid or anxious he regresses and puts on his hunting hat for comfort. This anxiety is triggered by memories from his past. The world has stepped on him and beat him down, so now he uses his hunting hat to symbolize his independence and alienation from the world. He consciously knows that the hat will not physically protect him, but, “the nihilist does not believe in the necessity of being logical.” (“On the Pathos of Truth”) So, since he doesn’t need to be logical, he uses the hunting hat regardless if it is actually going to work or not. Holden feels disconnected to the world in the beginning of the novel. Holden states that he feels trapped on “the other side of life.” (Salinger, 8) When Holden says this, he is in a distressed point in his life because he has recently just been expelled from his fourth school. The expulsion could be a reason why he feels so disconnected, but since this didn’t happen during his last expulsions, he
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Catcher In The Rye Symbolism
859 Words | 2 Pages
The Catcher in the Rye Essay Through Salinger's use of symbolism, as a society, he depicts the importance of preserving innocence. We want to save our innocence. In court, people try to plead not guilty, meaning that they are innocent. Holden Caulfield tries to protect kids from becoming guilty. He wants to make people never become guilty.
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Illusions in J.D. Salinger´s Catcher in the Rye
1194 Words | 3 Pages
Holden's red hunting hat was used to camouflage himself from both his problems and actuality. As bother some Ackley disturbs Holden while reading, Holden uses his hat as a defense. "I pulled t...
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Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye
1162 Words | 3 Pages
The symbolism throughout the novel illustrates Holden’s isolation from the adult world. In the beginning of the Chapter Three, Holden returns to his dorm room where he finds his pestering roommate, Ackley. After seeing Holden’s red hunting hat, which he purchased in New York, Ackley is fascinated by it and tells Holden that “Up home [he] wears a hat like that to shoot deer in,” (22) Holden then takes the red hunting hat off of Ackleys’ head and closes one eye as if he is trying to shoot it. “This is a people shooting hat,” he says (22). It is obvious from the start of the novel that Holden’s red hat symbolizes his mark of individuality and independence. In this scene, the audience sees how his desire for independence is connected to the feeling of alienation and the bitterness Holden feels for the people in society. Of course, Holden will not actually sh...
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Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye
967 Words | 2 Pages
In the beginning of the novel, Holden says to Mr. Spencer he feels trapped on the “other side of life.” This clearly demonstrates how Holden doesn’t feel that he belongs in the world he lives in. Holden has his hunting hat as a source of protection. Holden buys a red hunting hat in New York for a dollar. The hat has a very long peak, and Holden wears it backwards with the peak aiming behind him. “…I swung the old peak way around to the back-very corny, I’ll admit, but I liked it that way” (17), Holden explains. Holden puts his hat on when he’s under a lot of stress. The hunting hat not only symbolizes protection, but it also symbolizes Holden’s uniqueness and individuality. Holden doesn’t wear his hat because it’s fashionable, but only to keep his individuality and to feel safe. In the cab Holden put his hat on and says, “I’d put my red hunting hat when I was in the cab, just for the hell of it, but I took it off before I checked in” (61). This quote illustrates how Holden thinks it’s necessary to wear the hat in order to feel safe. But at the same time, Holde...
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Holden's Fear of Change in The Catcher in the Rye
1906 Words | 4 Pages
... narrator, those events triggered a moment of hesitation where the narrator had to make a choice, leave his old lifestyle and pursue a relationship with the girl, or he can continue his free lancing and not take things seriously. The narrator changes, but the girl becomes what he was, a seventeen year old who doesn’t take things seriously. When Holden gives Phoebe his red hunting hat, he is making her the next ‘catcher in the rye’. He grows into adulthood and he takes Phoebe as his replacement by giving her the red hunting hat, which symbolizes the role. Both Holden and the narrator grow into new roles and give up their old roles to women. Although, they both give up their roles and grow into adulthood to the same women who helped and influenced them to grow up. These characters helped the protagonists overcome their fear of change and finally turn them into adults.
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The Importance Of Holden Caulfield's Red Hunting Hat
976 Words | 2 Pages
Holden describes the hat as one ".that [he] bought in New York that morning. It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks" (17). Following the pratfall that results in leaving the fencing foil on the subway, Holden purchases the hat to yield some comfort for himself. Despite his bizarre manner of wearing the peak of the hat all the way to the back, Holden still enjoys it that way due to its extraordinary appearance compared to the rest of the so-called "phonies".
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Examples Of Grief In Catcher In The Rye
2129 Words | 5 Pages
Holden proudly wears his red hunting hat, not giving “a damn how [he] looked” (Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, page 115) in order to separate himself from other people. While the teenaged boy seems to be content to stand out from the crowd, the red hunting symbolically keeps him from ever joining society. The hat is red, and by wearing it, Holden assumes Allie’s red hair, showing how his obsession with Allie is a reason he is not able to rejoin his peers. He is fine separating himself from the rest of the world, so long as it is in the name of remembering Allie, but this is not a way to go on living life. Allie’s death has consumed his life to the point that Holden has entered a harmful cycle of isolating himself, feeling incredibly lonely and reaching out for help, but because he does not want to burden his loved one with his guilt, he reaches out to the wrong types of people, such as Sunny the prostitute, Sally Hayes, and the cabbies. The connections he makes scare him, and Holden subsequently withdraws back in on himself, forcing the cycle to continue. It gets to the point in The Catcher in The Rye that it seems as if Holden doesn’t want to be helped in getting over his grief. Its presence has become familiar to Holden and is a reminder of Allie that keeps Holden tied down to his past, “but mourning is only one of the two main
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Red Hunting Hat Analysis
1197 Words | 3 Pages
Holden’s common use of the word phony when talking about people implies that he believes that society is all about conforming to the beliefs of others. Caulfield uses his red hunting hat to get away from society in moments where he feels isolated. For example, when Ackley, Stradlater and Holden are talking in the room Holden feels uncomfortable and puts on his hat “What I did was, I pulled the old peak of my hunting hat around to the front, then pulled it way down over my eyes. That way, I couldn't see a goddam thing”. Holden uses his hat as an escape. When put in a situation where he feels uncomfortable, Holden puts on his hat and pretends to be blind so he can get away from it all. The hat represents a safe space for Holden, where he cannot be violated nor can his innocence be lost. The hat keeps Holden safe which is especially useful after Holden gets in a fight with Stradlater, his roommate at Pencey. He puts on his hunting hat before he leaves the school “When I was all set to go, when I had my bags and all, I stood for a while next to the stairs and took a last look down the goddam corridor. 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!’ I'll bet I woke up every bastard on the whole floor. Then I got the hell out”. Holden shows emotion in this passage
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Holden Caulfield Adulthood
1160 Words | 3 Pages
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
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Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye
880 Words | 2 Pages
Holden purchases this foolish looking cap on the morning he loses something important (fencing equipment). This shows that Holden is fascinated by things that are unusual.Which again proves his undermined innocence. Holden states “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.” This statement made by Caulfield demonstrates the unusual wonder for such a kid like hat. He goes on to say “ I saw it in the window of this sports store when we got out of the subway, just after I noticed I'd lost all the goddam foils. It only cost me a buck. The way I wore it, I swung the old peak way around to the back—very corny, I'll admit, but I liked it that way. I looked good in it that way.” (Salinger 33) In saying this, Caulfield reaches for comfort in a childish hat. A hat that could seem ridiculous to most but if worn by a child, the innocence shields the judging of
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When Does Holden Wear His Hat Analysis
203 Words | 1 Pages
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
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Catcher In The Rye Argumentative Essay
854 Words | 2 Pages
Which is the kind of world he wants to live in. Holden expresses his desire to preserve the innocence of others when his sister Phoebe tells Holden that he doesn't like anything, and that he has no ambitions of what he wants to be when he is older. Holden then explains that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. He says that he imagines little children playing on top of a hill and that his job is to protect children from falling of the hill. This symbolizes catching children from losing their innocence and falling into the adult world. Holden tells Phoebe, “I know it crazy, but that is the only thing I’d like to be” (172). This unrealistic desire is contributes to why Holden is struggling to transition from adolescence to adulthood. Critics of the novel have said Holden would like to suspend time stating, “Holden's desire to protect children shows his desire for suspending time, for inhabiting a space of young people conserved endlessly” (Yahya 3). Not letting go of childhood memories or accepting the harsh realities of adulthood are damaging when transitioning from
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Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye

Phoebe's Trauma In Catcher In The Rye

Holden’s Red Hunting Hat and it’s Symbolism

Holden Caulfield Nihilism

Catcher In The Rye Symbolism

Illusions in J.D. Salinger´s Catcher in the Rye