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How Does Holden Caulfield Red Hunting Hat Symbolize

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The repeating symbols of The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger shows many ways that J.D. Salinger and his Characters are trying to convey in the themes of Keeping innocence of his sibling and objects and people in general character shows. The way he gets through this is by using his red hunting hat as a security blanket. J.D. Salinger uses many and symbols and actions of the main character, Holden Caulfield, to convey his main repeated symbol of innocence and attempting to keep it and making Holden's red hunting hat to be a big part of preserving innocence in the younger characters in the novel.
Holden caulfield uses his red hunting hat as a sort of security blanket that allows him to do thing he would not normally do himself. Including when he is leaving his school he puts it on and screams “"Sleep tight, ya morons!"(68) he uses his hat to be as a reassurance and allows him to change his attitude and become almost a different person. He Uses it as protection figuratively and literally in one of most emotional moments in the novel“My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way; but I got soaked anyway. I didn't care, though. I felt so damn happy all of sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around. I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy, if you want to know the …show more content…

Holden's attempt to justify himself is unfair to himself but this best describes Holden's personality.

The Catcher in the Rye Many symbols is the utmost example of a novel with innocence struggles inner and outer.using the Red hunting hat , Innocence of Holden's siblings And Holdens Preservation of objects he is close to.repeating of symbols is the way J.d. Salinger creates a novel that makes the main character struggles.Creating a novel where the main character continuously has troubles brings light of real world struggles of people in daily

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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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Holden Caulfield, The main character of "The Catcher in the Rye" written by J.D. Salinger Often finds that he secludes himself from society. The 17 year old teenage boy is from a family that has "quite some dough" who lives in the wealthy side of New York. Although Holden has plenty of luxuries in life the poor soul just is not satisfied with any thing especially the gruesome society which he lives in. Through all the high's and low's the young man has endured Holden always had one special companion by his side, the red hunting hat. Ironically, Holden has access to the finer paraphernalia in life, but a red hat that only cost a dollar purchased near the subway station provides more comfort and indulgence to Holden than anything.

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J.D. Salinger uses varying diction and syntax in “The Catcher in the Rye” to create mood and tone throughout the novel. The specific choice of words (diction) that the author uses contributes to the characterization of Holden Caulfield. The use of profane and jargon-like word choice encapsulates the voice of the teenage narrator Holden. Holden’s informal diction emphasizes his immaturity and allows the reader to learn more about Holden’s character. Holden often uses the word “and” in a repetitive manner which gives the reader a child-like impression of Holden.

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J.D Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye, follows the main character, Holden Caulfield, and his experiences that lead him to be talking to a mental therapist. Told through Holden’s eyes, his profane and blunt explanations of major moments in his life allow readers to see that Holden is not crazy but is actually struggling with transitioning from child to adult. Throughout the story, he fondly remembers his early childhood and is trying the best he can to run from adulthood. He fears that he, like so many around him, may become phony when he becomes an adult. This fear drives his actions and gives him a feeling of hatred toward phony adults and a feeling of obligation to shield children from the harsh adult world.

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Holden Caulfield’s red hunting hat is one of the most recognizable symbols in the history of American literature. Statistics show that around twenty percent of American teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood. This statistic has a strong connection with the novel. J.D. Salinger published The Catcher in the Rye on July of 1951. Caulfield owned a very special item, which was his red hunting hat.

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“No pink hat? Where’s your pink hat?” he asked. I pointed to a heap of coats. The knight dug through and retrieved the knit cap. He then gently lifted the baby and tucked the hat over her like a blanket.

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Like Holden’s red hunting hat, an item that serves a similar purpose to me is my pink jacket. In a literal sense, the hunting hat and my jacket are both alike in the sense that they both have a fuzzy inner lining to keep the user warm. Holden recalls that the events that occurred throughout the duration of the novel, “…happened to me around last Christmas” (3). Therefore, the weather in New York would be chilly enough for a fuzzy hat to be appropriate to wear when going outside. By coincidence, because of the fact that it is also around Christmas time, the temperature tends to plummet, and thus, my fuzzy jacket is suitable for me to handle being outside in the cold environment.

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The Catcher in the Rye In the novel The Catcher in the Rye J.D Salinger writes about a teenager struggling to find his place within the existence of the reality of others. Salinger creates shocking events that lay out the foundation of the the main character Holden Caulfield’s life in the novel. Salinger uses Holden’s characteristics throughout the novel such as Holden’s stubbornness to establish a much bigger theme in the book along with many other symbols.

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Holden gets kicked of his school, Pencey, and goes to talk to his English teacher, Mr. Spencer. When he gets back to his dorm room after discussing that, he “put on this hat that…[he’d] bought in New York that morning. It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks” (21). After Holden and Mr. Spencer have the conversation about leaving Pencey and going through his school career and beyond, he puts on his hat. Because he is about to leave Pencey, a big change in his life, Holden puts on his hat as a sense of familiarity and is comforted in this moment by this motif.

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The Catcher in the Rye Thematic Essay Imagine living a lonesome life, full of fear and little hope of better days to come. Imagine the toll this would take on a person’s life and how they develop as a person. For Holden Caulfield, the main character of J.D Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye this, is his reality. Holden is a sixteen year old troubled boy suffering through major mental issues and living a rather a depressing life for a teenager. Throughout the novel he goes through many hardships that only worsen his depression making him feel hatred towards his seemingly hellish world.

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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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The Catcher in the Rye tells the story of Holden Caulfield who is a teenager growing up in the 1950’s in New York, has been expelled from school once again for poor achievement. In order to deal with his failure, Holden decides to leave school a few days before the end of the term and escapes to New York before returning to his home for the punishment. Written entirely in first person, the book describes Holden’s experiences and thoughts over the few days he takes for himself. During these few days Holden describes a nervous breakdown he experiences with symptoms of unexplained depression, impulsive spending, and unpredictable behavior. The strongest theme in The Catcher in the Rye is the main character Holden Caulfield 's fascination

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Usually considered a controversial novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger can often express the feelings of being an outcast and the desire to find a meaning in the world. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel, though often complains of the phoniness of the world around him, has a way of creating a deeper meaning within the readers. While the truth may be that Salinger purposely set the story in such a way that the readers will be able to connect with Holden, not often do readers find it easy to do so. While Holden believes that everything around him are wicked and phony, there is part of him trying to protect the innocence of those not corrupted by such phoniness. Although Holden wants to protect and save the innocence of children, can he really do so if cannot protect himself and trust those around him.

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He talks to his brother as if he 's there searching for help from him. This novel is about him moving through New York and witnessing this and not wanting to be a part of it, yet knowing he has to fit in there somewhere. Holden grows a very dangerous drinking problem. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, Holden is a lost and depressed boy looking for a purpose in life. Holden believes that growing up is going to cause him to lose all innocence in himself.

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Holden’s Struggle To Find Himself: Throughout the novel, The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden struggles to find himself and who he truly is in order to be happy. His struggles relate to many things that he does or say in particular. Holden lacks with a social status with women and his family, whether it’s a relationship or being antisocial. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield experiences the complexities and struggles involved with both physical and emotional relationships.

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