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Catcher In The Rye Literary Devices

874 Words4 Pages

Ian Buswell
Mrs. Chimo
Honors English 11
20 April 2023

The Catcher in the Rye Analysis Essay
“I like it when somebody gets excited about something. It’s nice” (Salinger 185). In the book The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses many different analytic techniques in order to establish a story about a confused and disillusioned teen, Holden Caulfield. Salinger uses the themes of blindness, symbolism, and irony to help further the reader's understanding of the story.

Inside The Catcher in the Rye, there are many techniques used to help the reader understand the book. Firstly, the theme of blindness is seen throughout the book with our main character, Holden Caulfield. In the story, he calls people “phony”, but by calling all these people …show more content…

In this novel, there are many instances of symbolism, one of which is the red hunting hat that we always see Holden wearing. To the normal reader, the hat is just seen as an article of clothing that has no deeper meaning to it, but if you look further into the text, you will see that there is much more to it. The hat is a representation of Holden's individuality and uniqueness. With the hat, for one, being bright red but also a hunting hat that has ear flaps, it is not your regular hat and stands out to the naked eye. It fits Holden because he wants to be perceived as memorable, whether it be in the city of New York or at all the different schools he has attended. At the start of the book, right after Holden bought the hat, he mentions that “[he] swung the old peak way around to the back—very corny, [he’ll] admit, but [he] liked it that way” (Salinger 18). This enforces the idea of Holden’s individuality by showing the reader he does not care what the norm is; he will do whatever it is he likes. Another example of the hat representing Holden’s individuality is when he is having a conversation with Ackley. Ackley tells Holden that, “Up home [they] wear a hat like that to shoot deer in, for Chrissake…that’s a deer shooting hat,” in response to this, Holden shouts, “Like hell it is… This is a people shooting hat… [he] [shoots] people in this …show more content…

Throughout the story, Holden struggles with the idea of growing up. He is scared to grow up, but ironically, he does many things that adults would or could only do, like go out to bars and drink alcohol. While reminiscing about home, Holden thinks about the lagoons in Central Park and what happened when “it would be frozen over.. and if it was, where did the ducks go?” (Salinger 13). This is significant because it is symbolic of Holden worrying about what will happen when he grows up. Towards the end of the story, while having a conversation with Phoebe about what Holden wants to do with his life, he tells her, “I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff…That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye” (Salinger 173). With this, Holden further reveals his childhood fantasy of being a hero and saving everyone. In his soul, Holden is an innocent boy who does not want to grow up. However, his actions of going out and drinking, smoking, and hiring a prostitute show that on the outside he wants to do adult

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Holden’s red hunting hat is a symbol of Holden’s uniqueness and difference from the others in the book. It is also the same color as his sister Phoebe’s hair and his friend Allie’s hair which could help connect the important people in his life. Holden never wears the hat when he is around people he knows giving the reader insight that when he wears the hat he feels the need for his isolation. 8. Imagery-

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In every novel around the globe you can find carefully constructed paragraphs, written by the author to send a specific message to the readers. In The catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, one particular section overflows with symbolism, metaphors, and hidden messages. By analyzing the passage’s diction, setting, and selection of detail it is possible discern the less overt statements hidden in the text and reveal the turbulent nature of the main character, Holden Caulfield. The diction of this passage appears to be the key in unraveling Holden’s mood swings.

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Salinger does a phenomenal job developing the red hunting hat into a symbol by emphasizing how important it was to Holden throughout the novel. When Holden is leaving the hotel, whilst walking out the door he grabs his coat from the hat check girl. He then proceeds to show her his hat. “I showed her my goddamn hunting hat and she liked it”(169).

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And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff--I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them,” (Salinger 224-225). Holden finds comfort in this fantasy because he is saving children from having to encounter adult life. Holden cannot figure out adult relationships and wants to protect childhood relationships because these are the

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Creating a story that transcends time takes the work of a skilled and dedicated writer. To be able to throw a global audience into the mind of a complicated character is a feat not easily done. In the novel “Catcher in the Rye”, the author, J.D Salinger, masterfully uses his story telling skills to portray Holden Caulfield’s miserable decent into adulthood in this expertly written novel. It’s not difficult to see the ingredients that Salinger used to concoct this relatable and dramatic story. He uses excellent themes that audiences have seen in their own lives, he uses symbolism that enriches the reading experience with deeper meaning, and he uses a unique writing style that further immerses the reader into the character and setting.

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Holden’s rebellious nature is a result of his desperate attempt to stay out of a phony adult society, but it ends up being a crucial factor in his coming of age process. Wearing his red hunting hat Holden attempts to stand out in the adult world, but it is also crucial being protecting him when he is vulnerable. Holden purchased the hat in New York “just after [he] noticed [he] lost all the goddam foils” (24), which shows that he was feeling vulnerable at the time. When he saw the “red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks” through “the window of [a] sports store” (24), he viewed it as a buffer from the outside world.

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