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Holden Caulfield Symbolism Essay

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Symbols The red hunting hat that Holden constantly wears wherever he goes is a prominent symbol in the Catcher in the Rye because it represents Holden’s inner innocence and individuality. Innocence is the one concept that Holden Caulfield struggles to hide. Holden tries to portray himself as this big tough guy. His cocky nature ends up getting him into trouble the majority of the time. He tried to stand up to Stradlater and he got beat up. He tried to play it off like it was nothing. Holden says, “I had blood all over my mouth and chin and even on my pajamas and bath-robe. It partly scared me and it partly fascinated me. All that blood and all sort of made me look tough” (45). Holden is attempting to see something in the mirror that …show more content…

He has his own personality unlike anyone else. Holden uses the word, “Phony” is an insult to anyone who isn’t genuine. He does not want to be associated with phonies and yet, he calls almost everyone he meets a phony. Individuality ties into the concept of the red hunting hat because it’s unique and unusual just like him. Although he associates with the hat, he is very embarrassed about it. Holden says, “I swung the old peak way around to the back- very corny, I’ll admit, but I like it that way. I looked good in that way” (18). He may be self-conscious about the hat and is afraid to wear it sometimes, but at the end of the day he loves it. He explains after being in the cold for a long time, “I took my red hunting hat out of my pocket and put it on- I didn’t give a damn how I looked” (88). The helps Hold feel safe as his own self. It keeps him away from all the phonies the plague the world. At the end of the story Holden finally says, “My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way” (213). Holden’s red hunting makes him different and remind him of people that aren't phonies like Allie and Phoebe. Holden's red hunting hat is a symbol because it represents how Holden is special and not a

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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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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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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.

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J.D. Salinger fully utilizes the literary device of symbolism in characterizing Holden Caulfield in the novel, Catcher in the Rye. Whether through a red hunting hat symbolizing a desire for individuality or ducks representing an escape from life’s challenges, Salinger conveys Holden’s struggles deftly, his traits elegantly, and his character development insightfully. Salinger takes one of Holden's most apparent qualities, his desire for uniqueness, and expresses it through his red hunting hat. Aside from being different through its garish red color, Salinger adds another layer of character through the way he shows Holden wearing it. "... I swung the old peak round to the back -very corny I'll admit, but I liked it that way."

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In J.D. In Salinger's novel, “The Catcher in the Rye”, the protagonist Holden Caulfield’s red hunting hat serves as a recurring motif that embodies deeper layers of symbolism and significance. Its multifaceted nature illuminates Holden’s individuality and sense of protection gained from the hat. The red hunting hat serves as a powerful emblem of Holden’s journey for individuality and resistance to societal norms. In a society where most people choose to conform, Holden’s attachment to his hat shows his defiance to assimilate with everyone else.

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Holden loves little kids because of their innocence and when Pheobe takes out his hat and puts it on him she knows that he does want to leave the feeling of innocence. “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. “ Don’t you want it?” I said. “You can wear it a while.

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Another hardship that Holden experiences is his depression which is most likely caused by his brother Allie dying, being extremely lonely, and his addiction to smoking and drinking. Holden seems to cope with these things through sexual interactions with people he is acquainted with or comes across. On page 122, Holden says, “When I opened the door, this prostitute was standing there. She had a polo coat on, but no hat.” This quote shows that Holden is dealing with the problems in his life by having sex with a prostitute, and throughout the novel, when Holden meets someone, he immediately looks at what they are wearing, which could be because he wants to find a way to defend himself by insulting or criticizing them if they begin to realize his insecurities.

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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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Trying To Look Honest by Hannah T. In the “trying to look tough” passage Holden is trying to be vulnerable with the reader, but he doesn’t know how to and he fears potential judgment. Holden begins the “trying to look tough” paragraph by saying that he “didn’t give a damn how [he] looked. ”(99) as he puts on his hunting hat.

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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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Holden wants to become The Catcher In The Rye because he wants to save kids growing up and becoming an adult. Holden doesn’t like the idea of adulthood because he just thinks that all adults are liers and he hasn’t really gotten the idea of sex yet. We know he isn’t ready because when the prostitute came into his hotel he freaked out and said he just had surgery. He wants to catch his sister from going into the adult world. That is why he wears the red hat because it makes him feel special and like he is a little kid.

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Symbols can mean anything in a person's life; they are the language of mysteries. Holden Caulfield has many symbols representing different aspects of his life. J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye tells a heartbreaking story about Holden, a young teenager who struggles to fit in with the world and finding a place that he belongs. Holden seems to not realize that he is an adult now but is attached in this childish world. Holden likes the way things were the same in his childhood and desires to stop time and remain in his childhood.

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Ackley, one of Holden’s dorm neighbors, barges into Holden’s room and asks him why he’s wearing this “deer shooting hat”, to which Holden replies, “‘This is a people shooting hat,’ I said. ‘I shoot people in this hat’”. Here the reader sees Holden’s extreme desire for individuality, a task he believes he’s achieving by wearing this odd hat. Furthermore, we can see the connection between Holden’s desire for uniqueness and feelings of alienation in this quote. Holden doesn’t mean that he will literally shoot people in his hat, but “shoot” them in his own way by judging them and rejecting to be apart of the so-called “hot-shot” or “phony” team.

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The Catcher in the Rye is a book about a teenage boy during the 1950s, who was expelled from school because of his academic failure. The main theme in Catcher in the Rye is alienation because Holden seems not to want anyone to be in his life, he thinks that everyone is fake and dishonest,” Phonies” is how he describes most people that he interacts with. The Author uses the red hat that Holden wears as a symbol of alienation. An example of this is when Holden says “That hat I bought had earlaps in it, I put them on - I didn’t give a damn how I looked, Nobody was around anyway.” (pg 53 ) this shows how uses his hat to hide himself from other people.

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Holden tries to prevent the inevitable, but one must move on with their life, and that is, contributed to the loss of innocence. His hat keeps him safe from the societal horrors that steal one's innocence. So when he has finally comes to grips with the fact that he must become older, and make grown up decisions, he gives his hat to Phoebe when, she takes it out of his pocket and offers it to him, since it was raining, but he says “You can wear it awhile” (Salinger 233), he does this because he wants to protect her now and stop running away from his

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