Symbolism in "Catcher in the Rye"
...te such a powerful vision and desire, but furthermore Holden’s response proves to the reader that beyond all of that swearing, Holden has a sensitive spot in his heart because of his love for children. He exemplifies his love for children as he cherishes his sister Phoebe, fondly remembers his deceased brother Allie, and carries out acts of kindness to other children, such as helping a little girl with her skates and erasing vulgarisms off of a school hall. The red hunting-hat represents Holden’s desire to be unique from the plethora of “phonies” in the world around him and serves as a symbol of his continuous debate over the need for isolation and protection. Holden reminisces, “I took off my coat and my tie and then I put on this hat that I’d bought in New York that morning. It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks. I saw it in the window of a sports store when we got out of the subway, just after I noticed I’d lost all the goddam foils. It only cost me a buck. The way I wore it, I swung the old peak way around to the back- very corny, I’ll admit, but I liked it that way. I looked good in it that way” (Salinger 17, 18). The story of Holden’s initial alliance with the hat suggest that the hat was purchased as an impulse to make himself feel not so guilty and numb to emotion after having lost the fencing team’s foils. Thereafter, Holden religiously wore his hat in unstable conditions not only to protect him physically, but mentally as well from his own festering thoughts and the impacts of emotion created by the actions of others. The hat also served as a barrier to isolate and distance himself from the average person. The ducks of Central Park Lagoon abstractly portray Holden’s character in such a way that in his constant curiosity, he becomes a duck, stuck between the winter-frozen lagoon (representing childhood) and the vast sky (representing adulthood). Holden converses, “‘Hey Horwitz,’ I said. ‘You ever pass by the lagoon in Central Park? Down by Central Park South? ... Well, you know the ducks that swim around in it? In the springtime and all? Do you know where they go in the wintertime, by any chance? … I mean does somebody come around in a truck or something and take them away, or do they fly away by themselves- go south or something’” (Salinger 81, 82)? This practically one-way conversation between Holden and the taxicab driver shows Holden’s interest in the ducks. Because of his enthusiasm in the water fowl, it can be assumed that Holden has a deeper meaning to his actions. Holden see the ducks as himself, on the verge of an adult life, yet still clinging to the last stages of childhood- the very thing he wants to protect others from losing too quickly. Like a duck frozen in a lake, Holden yearns to break free, but is held back by another force. Holden finds comfort in the ducks, for they are living examples of creatures similar to Holden metaphorically, and that Holden isn’t truly alone in his emotion. The Museum of Natural History, a museum recognized throughout the world, serves as a significant figure in Holden’s life because it represented a world where things never changed and everything was simple, understandable, and infinite. Holden recalls, “The best thing though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you” (Salinger 121). Th...