Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Sallinger

The ducks symbolize Holden’s path toward maturity. He asks about the ducks because he is wondering if he will be taken care of, as being ‘in the zoo’, or if he will be able to fly away and ‘become mature’. It’s important

Holden is unable to accept realities of life because of his negative personality. He claims that many people are phony and that they try to do things to make them look better than they are. Holden also thinks of many things as depressing. “It was really nice sightseeing, if you know what I mean. In a way, it was sort of depressing, too, because you kept wondering what the hell would happen to all of them” (p. 123). Holden always finds a down side to a situation. He fails to recognize the good sides of life, and this prevents him from seeing advantages in adulthood that are not present in his life.

Holden’s obsession with ducks indicates that he is innocent and youthful compared to him constantly being angry at everything and everyone.

The four moments Holden considers the ducks at Central Park- the two taxi rides, when he goes to Central Park, and at Mr. Spencer’s exhibit the specific stages and development of Holden towards maturity.

The ducks are first brought to the reader’s attention while Holden is visiting his teacher, Mr. Spencer, regarding his removal from Pencey. While conversing with Mr. Spencer, however, Holden’s mind drifts elsewhere. His mind drifts back to New York as he wonders to himself if the lagoon in Central Park is frozen over, and if so, where do the ducks go? A direct parallel can be drawn from the ducks in the lagoon to Holden’s present situation. He is mandated to leave Pencey, but has no idea where he belongs after leaving. Just like the ducks in the lagoon, “Holden is essentially homeless, frozen out” (Trowbridge par. 1). Holden’s life has not been filled with an abundance of stability and now what little he had is gone, albeit due to faults of his own, and he sees an unsure and hazy future. Holden inquires about the state of the ducks to the driver of the first cab he catches in New York, and the driver believes that he is kidding. Later on, he asks another cab driver if somebody came around “in a truck or something to take them away” or if they flew away “by themselves” (Salinger 81-82). Knowing what happens to these ducks, knowing that they are safe and secure even though the lagoon is frozen would provide Holden with a sense of comfort about his current state of affairs. What seems to be a ridiculous and meaningless question to the

Where do the ducks go during the Winter when the water is frozen? In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the character, Holden Caulfield, has an underlying mental condition. He failed out of four schools; he saw his friend commit suicide; and his younger brother died of cancer. These life-changing experiences paved the way for Holden’s insecure and unstable life. By his narration, Holden hints at his disorder throughout the book without fully explaining his condition. Holden’s many insecurities, his teetering on the edge of childhood and adulthood, and his irrational ideas help the reader realize that Holden has a mental problem.

This quotation is Holden’s conversation with the cab driver. I think Holden is being prejudged by the driver. Holden only want to know where the ducks go and he is just interested to

tries to act like an adult, but is unable to accept the fact he is

Holden does not understand where he belongs in society and constantly tries to shut people out. However,

The first place in the novel where Holden mentions the ducks in Central Park is in the middle of his conversation with Old Spencer, and that is when the reader gets an idea of Holden’s condition now that he flunked out of Pencey. Throughout the conversation, Holden stays relatively on topic and he only goes on a few tangents that are very short and somehow related to the talk with Old Spencer. The only time in the conversation when Holden really blanks out is when he “[thinks] about the lagoon in Central Park” (16). Holden’s thought about the lagoon and the ducks comes after the part of the conversation dealing with Holden’s past and before the part discussing Holden’s future and it was purposely and carefully placed there by J.D Salinger because

This difficulty to accept the migration of the ducks is most likely due to Holden’s inability to adapt to and accept change and loss. We see this again in Chapter 16 Holden says after he reminisces about his school trips to the Natural History Museum “Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone.” (Salinger 1994:110)

Once he gets to New York, he gets into a cab and gives his cab driver the address to his house because it was a habit. Holden finally gave the cab driver the right address and got all situated, he asks the cab driver the same question, “You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? Do you happen to know, by any chance?”

His discomfort can be attributed to him comparing himself to Horwitz and what he is like. In his conversation, Holden attempts to connect; the other person rejects him, and then he reacts to the rejection. Holden first reaches out to Horwitz when he asks about the ducks. The ducks often represent Holden’s efforts to reach out and connect with other people. They are not an in depth topic which further expresses Holden’s futile efforts to connect.

In the novel, Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the ducks from the lagoon in Central Park symbolize the fact that Holden is still searching for a direction in life. Holden mentions the ducks to many people, wondering about where they go during winter. When he was in a cab, he questioned the driver, “The ducks. Do you know, 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?”(91). Holden does not a have clue as to where the ducks go during the winter. This is similar to his own life because he does not have an established direction. He always gets kicked out of the schools he attends and relies on his parents to find him a new school. Therefore, Holden needs to act like the ducks and find his own path on which he is willing to take in life. He needs to be independent and figure out what he wants to achieve. In conclusion, the ducks from Central Park represent the fact that Holden needs to learn to find his own path in life

When Holden is taking cabs to and from lounges and clubs he asks a simple question to the cab drivers, do you know how the ducks survive the winter? Holden mentions these ducks on many occasions, leading to the idea that the ducks have some special place in the novel rather than being just a random subject of Holden's. Hence, the ducks represent the children, whom Holden is solemnly trying to be the children's catcher in the rye similarly, the ducks, the children, and Holden himself need protection when "winter" or the harsh times come. He wants to know what will happen to them all when the weather gets really cold or in this case what will happen to him right now since he is out in the real world alone. Ducks are innocent creatures usually used to picture purity. They are not phony in any aspect, and neither are children. The irony comes in that despite their purity, both ducks and children are helpless. Even if ducks manage to "fly away by themselves - go south or something" (Salinger, 91), there is always a chance that a hunter will possibly shoot them down. It is the same way with children: even if they don't see any of the "fuck you" signs, there will