Holden Caulfield's Hunting Hat

In this quote we can see that Holden’s mood changed immediately after he put on his red hunting hat. His unstable sense of self has adjusted from being sad and discouraged to being confident so quickly which is out of the ordinary for normal people to happen. Because of Holden’s insecurity of himself, putting on this hat changes his appearance, which he likes, and makes him feel better about himself at that moment until he takes it off. It’s an ongoing cycle of security and insecurity causing Holden to have this unsure thought about himself as he is not sure who he really is with all these multiple identities. Another great example of Holden’s insecure sense of self is that he has the ability to be vulnerable to the influence since he does not feel that he may be educated enough to make the right decision or the fact that he is too put down on himself to stick up and fight for his decision. For instance, when staying in a hotel he was offered by an unknown man if he wanted to pay for an experience with a prostitute. Because of his state of being, Holden could not answer the way he wanted to, "'Okay,' I said. It was against my principles and all, but I was feeling so depressed I didn't even think" (Salinger

1) Page 16: Holden explains that his hat represents his individuality. Even though his hat looks “very corny” turned around, he likes that it looks different from the way anyone else would wear

Reaching the very end of the novel there are several events that lead up to the conclusion that Holden evolves as a dynamic character. The last few contributions include Holden sitting in the rain while Phoebe goes on the carousel, and finally when readers learn Holden must have entered some sort of a mental institution. While waiting for Phoebe he sits on a bench as it starts raining and thinks to himself, “My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way, but I got soaked anyway. I didn’t care, though.”(Salinger 213). One of the symbolic objects Holden keeps throughout the novel is the hat because it is comforting and gives him the feeling of protection. In this particular part of the novel it is clear that the hat can no longer protect him from entering the adult world. An English novelist Malcolm Bradbury expresses his opinion when writing, “Some seem to suggest a role for Holden in relation to childhood—he can be a catcher in the rye, the adult who is the protector of childish innocence. Over these episodes, Holden obviously develops and his attitudes change. He is hunting for his own

While Holden was in New York for a fencing competition, he purchased a red hunting hat and this hat has come up numerous times during important parts of the story. For example, when Holden was writing about Allie’s baseball mitt and after he left Pencey. Holden wears his hat as a way to show who he really is, even though he is not comfortable wearing it in public , “I put my red hunting hat on, and turned the peak around to the back, the way I liked it,”(Salinger 68). Although Holden feels embarrassed when he wears his hat out in public it is a way for him to feel more confident in his own skin rather than being depressed all the time. The red hunting hat is a symbol shown again and again about who Holden really is as a person. It shows that he likes and enjoys doing unusual things, but at the same time is cautious about where he wears his favorite

Holden’s red hat represents his individuality and his interactions with it and Phoebe show how he no longer wants it. Salinger writes, “Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it to her” (180). This quote not only shows how Holden no longer wants to be different but how he really want to give his sister the chance to be unique and express herself. He has given up on trying to be himself, even by when he is alone. Salinger writes, “The reason I saw her, she had my crazy hunting hat on-you could see that hat about ten miles away” (205). Holden is saying that being unique makes him stand out, but unlike how

The hat makes Holden feel protected as if he does not need anyone. It is like the way a pacifier or a teddy bear works to comfort a child. Holden says, “After he left, I put on my pajamas and bathrobe and my old hunting hat, and started writing the composition” (49). Holden writes this intricate composition about his brother’s baseball mitt. He waits until his roommate leaves in order to wear the hat and it makes him feel protected. It is odd that he wears his hat inside, but it just reinforces the fact that the hat symbolizes the will to describe his emotions. He manages to write a heartfelt paper in which his brother’s memory becomes a vivid reality for him. Holden remains attached to the image of his brother. He cares about his siblings immensely and he finds a way to always carry them along with him. His red hunting hat is a representation of his brother Allie that died of leukemia in his innocence. Both of his siblings have red hair and the color of his hunting hat is red. Holden reflects that, “People with red hair are supposed to get mad very easily, but Allie never did and he had very red hair” (50). He buys this hat to remember the memories of innocence and love he shared with his brother. The hat is also a reminder that the only sibling he has left is Phoebe and she is dear to his heart because of her innocence and

Holden visits his parents apartment because he wanted to see his little sister. Holden has to sneak into the apartment because if his parents see that he ditched school his father will “kill him”. He talks to Phoebe but Holden can’t stay their for a long time because soon his parents will wake up. As Holden is leaving, he passes Phoebe the red hunting hat; “Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it to her. She likes those kinds of crazy hats. She didn’t want to take it, but I made her.”(Salinger,198). Phoebe is a very mature girl for her age, she is very smart and initiative. She is also very aware of her surrounding and reality, slowly losing her innocence. Holden as a big brother wants to protect and try to save her innocence. Holden “makes her” take the red hunting hat because he doesn’t want what happened to him, happen to her. He wants her experience her childhood and not race to adulthood. Phoebe at first is hesitant because she wants to live her own life. However Holden is scared of her falling out the rye, meaning going to adulthood. The fact that he gave her his favorite hat that he uses for protection show how he also wants her to be protected from the corruption of the outside world. Holden doesn’t just the desire of innocence but to preserve his sister's

Holden’s first action after the fight is to find his hunting hat. Holden expresses his need for the hat when he says, “I couldn’t find my goddam hunting hat anywhere” (Salinger 59). This one sentence shows how the hunting hat brings relief to Holden and how he feels lost without it. The hat is a comforting object for Holden having that on the way he likes it just like a catcher.

The red hunting hat is the same colour as Holden’s younger siblings Phoebe and Allie’s hair - red. This is not a coincidence as these characters are two of the people that Holden values and appreciates the most in his life. The hunting hat brings out the qualities that Holden admires most in Phoebe and Allie, one of them being their unique red hair. The hat specifically plays a key role in the changing relationship between Phoebe and Holden. Throughout the story, Holden has consistently mentioned Phoebe and has left readers wondering about her character. Closer to the end of the novel, Holden finally comes back to his apartment and has a conversation with Phoebe. During their talk, they discuss Holden’s views on society, as well as his likes. Holden decides to “[take his] red hunting hat out of [his] pocket and [give] it to Phoebe” (198). At first, she [does not] want to take it, but [Holden makes] her” (199). This exchange grants the idea that Holden is not afraid of phoniness anymore, so there is no need for him to alienate and protective himself with the red hunting hat. He feels that Phoebe can benefit more from the hat and the protection that is associated with it. Holden often talks about wanting to be a “catcher in the rye,” and save young children from losing their innocence, similarly to how the hat saves him from phoniness. One of

To begin with, Holden’s red hunting hat is a symbol for his protection against the world. The first time that he uses his hat to make him feel secure is when his roommate, Stradlater, punches Holden in the face. His initial thought after he is punched, is to find his hat. He most likely thinks of this because his hat provides a sense of comfort for him, similar to a young child and their blanket. “I couldn’t find my my goddam hunting hat anywhere, Finally I found it. It was under the bed. I put it on, and turned the old peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I went over and took a look at my stupid face in the mirror (Salinger 45). This evidence demonstrates Holden’s need to feel protected from the world and all his problems, Not only does Holden used his hat to protect himself, he also uses it to try to protect Phoebe, his younger sister. In his attempt to try to shield Phoebe

The hat represents his deceased brother because it’s red like Allie’s hair, and just as Holden always keeps his hat with him, he holds onto his sadness over Allie’s death. So, Holden contemplates more than just his hat itself when he says, “I was out of my breathe anyway, so I quit horsing around. I took off my hat and looked at it for about the ninetieth time” (34). In this moment, Stradlater is attempting to have Holden write a paper for him, but the conversation never becomes serious for Holden until Stradlater brings up his hat. That’s because the hat holds meaning for him, and when he looks at it he’s thinking about Allie and his death, and the times when he was still around. This quote also purposeful in the way it puts even further emphasis on Holden’s focus on the past, similarly to other symbols from the book.

There is also a sense of self-consciousness that surrounds the hat as well. Holden never fails to mention when he is going to wear the hat and even removes the hat when he is going to be around people he knows, because "it was corny" but he "liked it that way." His self-consciousness of his hat therefore introduces a new component to the theme: Holden's want for isolation versus his desire for companionship.

Holden seems to enjoy being around Phoebe and finds everything she does fascinating. Holden blames his isolation and hate for phony people on the society but Phoebe tries to make him see that he is the problem. Holden then says that he wants to be the catcher in the rye, a man who catches kids as they fall off the cliffs from the rye field. I find this contradicting because he can’t save himself from his responsibilities in the adult world but wants to save others. Holden gives Phoebe his red hunting hat. I think the hat might symbolize safety and protectiveness. The hat could also symbolize the catcher from the catcher In the rye, and who possessed it might be the catcher. Once Holden gives the hat to Phoebe he kept feeling like he was going

Holden's hunting hat also shows symbolism of different moods and feelings he may be experiencing. First, the fact that it was a "hunting hat" symbolizes that he is searching for himself. And second, there is a pattern as to the way he wears he hat. When he is in a lost and depressed mood he would "turn peak around to the back" (Salinger 45), when he was in a good mood he would "pull the peak…around to the front" (Salinger 34). There is no specific sequence in these changes, his hat turns with his mood. It is as if the hat is directing him and comforting him in his quest to find himself.

One of the literary devices in this novel is symbolism. Holden’s red hunting hat is the symbolic feature that alienates him from society. Ackley tells Holden “Up home we wear a hat like that to shoot deer in, for Chrissake… That’s a deer shooting hat” (Salinger 30), meaning Holden’s hat is only worn while hunting. Holden does not seem to care much for Ackley’s opinion and he wears it anyways. This shows Holden’s individuality and his uncommon desire compared