Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye, By J. D. Salinger
A red rose has become a symbol for romance. Skulls a symbol of death. Four-leafed clovers have come to represent goodluck due to their rarity. Symbols are all over the place and have been for a long time, they are so ingrained within our everyday life that we miss a majority of them. They’re present in ads, on tv, even on the doors to the toilet. However, they don’t only represent the qualitative aspects, they can also effectively be used as devices to represent internal states of mind. In the novel “Catcher in the Rye”, J.D. Salinger, through the use of symbols and metaphors, is able to effectively demonstrate what mentally drives Holden, without having to be to blunt about it.
One of the most famous, talked about, and prevalent symbols throughout the novel is Holden’s red hunting hat. Time and again, it embodies the comfort that he so lacks in his life, even when he is terrified of admitting it. The
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He mentions them several times, asking either strangers or distant acquaintances. The premise of his questions generally remains the same, like when he asks the first cab driver if he, “happen[s] to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? Do you happen to know, by any chance?" (35). He repeats the question again to a second cab driver because, “he was a much better guy than the other driver [Holden] had. Anyway, [Holden] thought maybe he might know about the ducks,” (47). He is intrigued by where the ducks go, because by coming back after winter, they defy his fear of abandonment. Unlike his little brother, Ali, his older brother, D.B., they come back every single year. Not only do they defy, but they also bring hope, as if through them coming back, it warms Holden up to the idea that, no matter what happens, he will also come
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