catcher in the rye
...anding is necessary for Holden to regain a more sensible comprehension of his life. The ducks in the pond also show that some vanishings are only temporary. The ducks fly away every winter and return every spring therefore symbolizing the circle of life. The ducks offer hope to Holden’s quest for understanding because they can suggest an afterlife in which Holden will see Allie again. As the protagonist searches for truth, he also searches to identify himself as an individual. The hunting hat plays a double role in that it is also a symbol of individuality. He believes resenting conformity and isolating himself will allow him to be more of an individual. Holden purchases the hat after loosing all the fencing foils. The team ostracizes him and Holden is ashamed. From the time he purchases the hat, he wants to isolate himself. The hat continues on Holden’s journey and becomes a symbol of resentment to conformity. For the most part, Holden dresses very conventionally. However, the red hat is one small step for Holden and his desire to become and individual (Trowbridge 340). This step is also challenged due to Holden’s personality. Holden is very self-conscious especially in regards to actually wearing the hat. He always mentions wearing it yet doesn’t wear it around certain people. In Chapter 7, Holden states: “I stood for a while…and took a last look down the goddamn corridor…I put my red hunting hat on, turned the peak around the back, the way I liked it, and then yelled at the top of my goddamn voice, “Sleep tight, you morons.” (Catcher 52). This statement ties together Holden’s quest for individuality as well as his self-conscious flaw. Holden wants to leave the school because he believes he doesn’t belong with the phony people. However, he waits until he has left and no one is around to put on his hunting hat and be an individual. As Holden strives to become more of an individual, the hunting hat tracks the progression as well as regressions that Holden has made. Holden’s second quest is to find and preserve the innocence of childhood. Symbolically, Salinger uses Allie’s baseball glove, the carousel and the Natural history Museum to show Holden’s longing for preservation. Through Allie’s baseball mitt, Holden shows an attachment to his deceased brother. Holden comments that Allie was one of the few people he could love in such a phony world. In his child state, Allie was perfect to Holden. Allie used to read poems that he wrote on the mitt when he was in baseball games. This example of innocence is what Holden cherishes. For this reason he covets the mitt and Jane Gallagher is the only character he exposes it to. Allie and Allie’s baseball mitt represent the purity he finds only in children. Since Allie died as a child, he never left the innocent state(Trowbridge 340). Holden would like to find a way to remain in a childlike state without death being involved. Allie is the example he uses when thinking of such a concept. Salinger portrays a scene in which Holden visits the Museum of Natural history. Here, Holden recounts the many times he used to go as a child. He enjoys the exhibits because they never change. However, Holden stops himself from entering because he himself has changed. The Museum is symbolic to Holden’s desire to preserve childhood. He wants to keep it in a glass case because it is precious to Holden. However, Holden stops himself from entering because he himself has change. Holden he wants to regress into the child-like state but can’t. He wants to enter the museum but cant. During Holden’s quest for preservation the museum offers a solution to Holden. It attempts to demonstrate that adulthood cannot be prevented and you cannot regress into a childlike state. The carousel displays a final example of preserving childhood. Phoebe is riding a carousel as Holden watches. Phoebe grabs for a golden ring and Holden knows she will fall. He desperately wants to catch her. Holden wants to catch her much like he wants to ‘catch’ her from adulthood. However, through the carousel Holden is able to understand that preserving childhood is impossible. This realization comes when Holden states, “ The th...