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Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye

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There are four main symbols used in “the Catcher in the Rye”. The red hunting hat of Holden, the ducks in the Central Park lagoon, The Museum of Natural History , and one connected to the title of the book. The song Holden refers as “if a body catch a body comin’ through the rye”. Showing parts of his personality that he hadn 't shown before. The first main symbol shown to be the duck in the Central Park Lagoon. Holden “live in New York, and I[he] was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park… I[he] was wondering … where did the ducks go. I[He] was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over”(Salinger 16). Holden shows a curious side that he hadn 't shown before. He usually thinks negative, but this time showing a more childlike side of his personality. Symbolising he wants to encounter the mysteries of the world as any other child. The ducks in the lagoon represent the many other symbolism in the story. For starters Holden is afraid of change. He is afraid of someone vanishing. As he was affected when his brother …show more content…

The third symbol was the song “If a body catch a body coming through the rye” that Holden mishears. At one point his sister Phoebe asked him what he would like to be. He said “You know that song ‘if a body catch a body comin’ through the rye’?I’d like… 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 and all”(191). But Holden misheard, his sister corrects him by saying it 's ‘if a body meet a body coming through the rye’. Holden creates a complete opposite interpretation of the song of what it actually means. Holden wishes to catch the children before they lose their innocence and transfer into adulthood. Like he is doing. Interpreting the song to symbolise what he wants to do. When the song actually means of Holden wishes. Expressing if it 's wrong for two people have a romantic encounter with no plan to actually stay together in a serious

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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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The ducks are usually being mentioned when they talk about frozen images, for example when Holden was “wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over?”(16, Salinger) as he was driving in a taxi and asking a stranger such a question. Holden's mind was so concentrated into finding out where the ducks go, and where he should go, that he ended up asking a random taxi driver where do the ducks end up going when it gets all frozen over? He is so desperate knowing that he asks that again later in the book, “Do you happen to know where they go, the ducks when it gets all frozen over?” (67, Salinger) Again Holden feels the need to ask a taxi driver where do ducks go, since he hasn't gotten a proper answer from the previous one.

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This is a symbol of the fact that innocence can’t forever be protected. Holden is very upset over the fact that innocence is being taken away in a

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The lagoon itself is symbolic of Holden’s longing for an eternal childhood, the frozen state representing a lack of change. The ducks represent the rest of society which Holden fails to assimilate with. Another symbol of this is the Museum of Natural History which Holden enjoys visiting, for similar reasons as the lake. He enjoyed going to the museum because “Nobody’d move.” and “nobody’d be different”. Holden visits this museum twice throughout the novel.

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In Catcher in the Rye author J.D. Salinger uses symbolism to emphasize the significance of Holden’s red hunting hat. Holden wears the red hunting hat to distinguish himself from everyone around. Holden bought the red hunting hat for one dollar in New York the same morning he lost the fencing equipment. The red hunting hat offers Holden protection from the outside world and it also of comforts him in real world situations. Obviously needing protection from the fencing team who ostracized him all the way back to Pencey.

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I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over"( ). This is symbolism for Holden, the ducks representing his desperate attempt to cling to childhood. He, just like Craig struggles with this depression that he can't let go. This idea of fear can be related to

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J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is considered a coming of age novel. Throughout the novel, Holden, a confused teenage boy, matures and understands more about himself. Salinger conveys Holden’s increasing levels of maturity by using a variety of symbols. The ducks in central park, the red hunting hat, and the carousel ring symbolize the the development of Holden’s adulthood.

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The frozen lake and the winter are the illustration of his own winter. The careless nature and the unkind winter are as ruthless as his teenage years. The migration of the ducks and their retuning is like a hope for a ray of sunshine after a disturbing storm. (http://www.shmoop.com/catcher-in-the-rye/ducks-fish-other-wildlife-symbol.html)

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These quotes show a contradiction between what Holden outwardly claims and what he genuinely believes. In the first quote, Holden openly admits that he is "illiterate," suggesting that he lacks literary knowledge and thinks he is not smart. 2. During his conversation with Mr. Spencer, Holden gets distracted thinking about ducks in Central Park in New York City. What are some things he wonders about them?

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This shows that the Museum is a symbol of Holden’s reluctance for change, in himself and in the world. Central Park is the location where Holden goes in order to answer his question of where the ducks go in the winter. This question could represent Holden’s

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She makes Holden reconsider his actions and his aspirations, causing him to come to terms with his desire of being a “catcher in the rye,” keeping children from falling off of a cliff. This represents him wanting to keep

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