ipl-logo

Symbolism In The Red Hunting Hat

828 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character analysis of holden caulfield catcher in the rye

Oscar Wilde said : “Be yourself, everybody else is already taken.” In his book, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger expresses this quote through the adolescent life of Holden Caulfield. The novel begins with the narrator being kicked out of his private high school for failing all of his classes but one. Leaving campus, he heads to New York City; which ironically is the city of dreams. J.D. Salinger uses symbolism in the form of a hat to represent the notion of individuality. Holden’s journey with the hat emphasizes Salinger’s theme that when morals and beliefs are different from those around them, the individual will struggle to operate within the society. In the beginning, Holden had received a lot of criticism about the red hunting hat. While undergoing an attack from his acquaintance Ackley, Holden made it evident that he was quite fond of the accessory : “That’s a deer shooting hat.’ ‘Like hell it is.’”(Salinger 22). By rejecting this fashion advice, he is ignoring the opinions that try to modify him. The placement of this judgement sets a pathway for the reader to learn about the narrator’s unique and headstrong personality. If he is not willing to be open to …show more content…

While hanging out with his little sister Phoebe, Holden appears to be more relaxed; having a person that has grown up with you makes it easier to feel a sense of belonging. However, Holden still maintains the belief that he has to leave. Wanting to protect Phoebe, he gives her the one thing that he has remained constant with, the hat. Instead of keeping it for her own journey, Phoebe throws it back at Holden once she discovers he is departing from her life again : “All she did was, she took off my red hunting hat-the one I gave her-and practically chucked it in my face. It nearly killed me, but I didn’t say anything.” (Salinger 207). It is fitting here that the hat is given back to Holden because he is the one in the family that stands

Show More
Related
1340 Words | 6 Pages

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-

Read More
741 Words | 3 Pages

Blaise Engle English 9 CP Period 6 Mrs. Gowanlock Tuesday, December 21 CITR Essay Throughout the majority of the Catcher in the Rye J.D Salinger employs several different symbols that define Holden's personality. One particular object that set him apart from everyone else was his red hunting hat. It is brought up on several different occasions in the book and is often described as an article that reminds him of his brother Allie and sister Phoebe. Salinger furthermore develops the red hunting hat into a symbol by referring to it several times as Holden's own form of uniqueness, aiding in the theme of “ protection of the innocence” and the resistance of maturity.

Read More
1493 Words | 6 Pages

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.

Read More
777 Words | 4 Pages

Teenagers often attempt to find happiness through the acceptance of others, as they believe it will make their life whole. In the novel The Catcher In The Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist and narrator of the novel is a sixteen year old junior who is expelled from his school Pencey Prep for failing 4 out of 5 classes. Holden Caulfield seeks acceptance from the people surrounding him, which affects him both positively and negatively. In the novel The Catcher In The Rye, the main character, Holden Caulfield, seeks acceptance from those around him when he goes home to look for Phoebe, when he goes to his old teacher expecting pity, and when he visits the nuns because he heard what good people they are. The first example of Holden yearning acceptance from the people surrounding him is when he goes home to look for Phoebe, his sister, after his expulsion.

Read More
656 Words | 3 Pages

Holden says that all he want to do is be the catcher in the rye protecting children from falling. The whole novel Holden makes observation around him that are taking away from children's innocence. This is what upsets him the most the fact that everyone will eventually have to grow up. While he is trying to go get Phoebe he is reminded this in the following quote. “I went down by a different staircase, and I saw another "Fuck you" on the wall.

Read More
1063 Words | 5 Pages

The book, The Catcher in the Rye, takes place in the years of the 1940s-1950s of New York City. Author J.D. Salinger expresses in the book about the struggles and the countless amount of stereotypes and establishments of the American society. Holden Caulfield, J.D Salinger’s protagonist, gives perspectives of society’s conflicts and facets of society. Holden addresses that would should not change, but should be preserved within a glass case at a museum. Now explore the varieties of encounters and how the give an example of the theme of conflict between control and independence that the protagonist confronts in the book, The Catcher in the Rye.

Read More
1318 Words | 6 Pages

J.D Salinger’s use of the red hunting hat as a motif throughout The Catcher in the Rye symbolizes the desire to be unique. Holden puts on his red hunting hat on when he is feeling vulnerable because the hat makes him feel as if he has security and confidence. The red hunting hat makes him feel as if he has the power and ability to be unique. He compulsively buys the red hunting hat after the fencing team verbally abuses him because he “lost all the goddam foils,” (Salinger 17).

Read More
435 Words | 2 Pages

She didn't want to take it, but I made her. I'll bet she slept with it on. She really likes those kind of hats..." (180). Holden gives Phoebe his red hunting hat because he thinks the hat will protect her from the outside world and keep her innocence and purity intact as he believes it has done for him. Not only does Holden wear the hat all the time but he also talks about wearing the hat all time this showing that he’s a bit more self conscious about the hat than he lets

Read More
464 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
739 Words | 3 Pages

The connection Holden held with this hat was strong, Holden felt as if he could escape the reality of growing up and the struggles that come upon it while he wore this hat. This red hunting had brought Holden a sense of security and protection from society's further influence on Holdens adolescence. Salinger wrote that Holden put his “red hunting hat on, and turned the peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I yelled at the top of my goddam voice, "Sleep tight, ya morons! " I'll bet I woke up every bastard on the whole floor” (Salinger 29). The red hunting hat gave him confidence and freedom to act how we wanted without thinking about any consequences that he could potentially face.

Read More
1150 Words | 5 Pages

Holden uses his hat to comfort him in challenging situations, when he messes up, or when he feels rejected from adulthood. Holden uses his hunting hat to provide that comfort to him when no one else is available. The hat serves as a way for Holden to feel safe after certain incidences in his life. In the beginning of the book, Holden buys the red hunting hat after he let his classmates down.

Read More
1322 Words | 6 Pages

In the beginning of the novel Salinger portrays Holden as a antisocial person who is often seen alone and describes the world as a “ world full of phonies” one example of this is at the beginning of the book wherein the

Read More
664 Words | 3 Pages

Alienation as Self-Protection in The Catcher in the Rye Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, there are many themes, motifs and symbols that emerge and develop along with Holden, the protagonist, and the plot. Though the most significant theme is alienation as means for self-protection. In many instances, Holden isolates and alienates himself from his peers and the world in order to protect his morals and his self-imposed superiority. The first evidence of this alienation occurs when Holden speaks to his history teacher, Mr. Spencer. While talking about Mr. Thurmer’s lecture, Holden begins to ponder the “right side”, stating “if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s the game about?”

Read More
715 Words | 3 Pages

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

Read More
830 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

More about Symbolism In The Red Hunting Hat

Related Topics

Open Document