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Central Park Lagoon Symbolism

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The natural human response to a threatening situation is either fight or flight. Holden's first reaction to adulthood is to attempt and maintain a strategic distance from it by entering his own particular world where he is in control. In his novel, J.D. Salinger, uses various symbols such as, The Museum of Natural History, The Ducks in the Central Park Lagoon, and The Carousel's Gold Ring, to express the overall theme of his novel which is that growing up can be painful.
The Museum of Natural History is one of the most vital symbols of the novel as it represents the state in which Holden desires two always be able to stay in, unchanging. The "museum" is a vital spot to Holden on the grounds that it is a spot where the typical "laws" of the

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