Catcher in the Rye- Symbols

I think that in the book Catcher in the Rye, the author uses many symbols to help us get a better understanding of the concept of this book. One of the big symbols used by the author in this book is the catcher in the rye. We first hear of the catcher in the rye when Holden sees a young boy walking down the street singing a song titled "Comin' Thro' the Rye". After Holden hears this song, he creates a fantasy of what he wants to do with is life. Holden imagines a field of rye positioned on top of a cliff, where children could run around and play. He imagines that he would watch over the children and catch them if they come to close to the edge of the cliff, and to save their innocence before they learn about the phoniness of the adult world. I think this is one of the biggest symbols the author used in this book because of the title of the book, and because it is a symbol of what Holden thinks childhood should be like. Another symbol the author uses in this book is Holden's red hunting hat. This hat represents Holden's individuality and it is the same color as Phoebe's hair. Some people think that Holden wears a hat the same color as Phoebe's hair because he associates it with the innocence of childhood, but I do not think it has that much of a meaning other than a way to stand out from everyone else. Although it represents Holden's uniqueness, he is embarrassed and very self conscious when he is wearing this hat. I think that it is very silly of Holden to have this hat that he wears so that he can stand out, but then when he wears it he feels embarrassed and self conscious. I know that if I am going to wear something to be different from everyone else, I am going to make sure that I am not to self conscious to wear it around.

Bibliography

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. Print.