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Catcher In The Rye Symbolism

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As people move from childhood to adulthood, the loss of innocence and the subsequent longing for its return go hand in hand. This dynamic helps people understand life, and the surrounding world. In J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, the ideas of innocence and the longing for it are very prevalent. Holden Caulfield is a teenage boy that attends a preparatory school. However, he is at a point in his life where he is no longer just an innocent child. Holden decides to leave his school and go to the city in hopes of finding some small pieces of innocence that are left inside him. In The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger utilizes symbolism to illustrate the longing for innocence.
Sunny and sex are two of the many symbols that represent Holden’s …show more content…

Holden really does not like having to deal with change. Each time he visits the museum, he realizes the museum never changes. Holden says, “The only thing that would be different would be you. Not that you'd be so much older or anything. It wouldn't be that, exactly. You'd just be different, that's all”. Holden is recognizing that he has been changing as a person very rapidly since his brother Allie died. He is having a hard time accepting that, and he wants to be back to the simpler times when he would visit the museum on school field trips. The fact that the museum never changes makes Holden realize that he wishes his life was as simple and innocent as before Allie’s death. He has been in so much pain, and doesn’t know how to cope with how he is feeling. Holden realizes how happy he was as a child, and is getting those same joyful feelings when he is back at the museum: “I get very happy when I think about it. Even now”. Thinking back on the days when he would visit the museum, Holden remembers the joy and innocence he felt. Remembering that makes him long for the uncomplicated days even more so than he thought he did. Holden was truly happy when Allie was alive, but since his death Holden has not been able to sustain that feeling. Salinger’s use of the American Museum of natural History as a symbol represents Holden’s wish for his life to be like before, and for Allie to still be

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Symbolism In 'Catcher In The Rye'

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The attraction to these women is troubling to Holden because he is convinced that non-serious sex is wrong and he is disturbed with himself for being attracted to the women in the Lavender room and when he arranges a date with Sally. Through the book he is troubled because he repeatedly comments on the “stupidity” of Sally and the lack of attractiveness of other women. He also believes that he has to help children hold on to their innocence. He describes himself as the catcher in the rye who has to catch children from falling off of a hypothetical cliff that symbolizes the loss of innocence. He attempts to save the children and keep them in their innocence but he is never able to save all of them or even

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