In The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger illustrates the impact of isolation and loneliness through characterization and symbolism. Salinger demonstrates that isolation and loneliness create harmful impacts through symbolism. The symbol of Allie's baseball mitt reflects his loneliness and intense longing for connection. Holden keeps Allie's baseball mitt to feel close to him. He finds himself so lonely and misses his brother terribly; the glove remains one of the few ways to stay close to his brother. Holden says, “So what I did, I wrote about my brother Allie's baseball mitt. It was a very descriptive subject. It was. My brother Allie had this left-handed fielder's mitt. He was left-handed. The thing that was descriptive about it, though, …show more content…
Since one of Holden’s few sources of comfort comes from an object, we can tell how alone he truly feels. Additionally, the symbol of the hunting hat Holden wears represents anger and isolation. At one point, Holden fights with Stradlater. After the fight, Holden remains beaten up, depressed, and all alone. He puts on his hunting hat, almost for comfort or companionship. Perhaps Holden could even attempt to find isolation from his physical pain when placing on the hat. Holden says, “I couldn’t find my goddam hunting hat anywhere. Finally, I found it. It was under the bed. I put it on and turned the old peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I went over and took a look at my stupid face in the mirror. You never saw such gore in your life” (51). Here, he feels sad and hopeless and continues to fall deeper into those feelings. The isolation and alienation affecting Holden do not allow him to reach the people he cares for, becoming disconnected, and giving up. When Holden has these feelings, he often puts on his hunting hat, highlighting these parts of the book and calling our attention to them.