Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye

In the first chapter of this novel, we get introduced to the protagonist and narrator of the novel, Holden Caufield, from a rest home in which he has been sent for therapy. He refuses to talk about his early life, although he does explain that his older brother “D.B” sold out to writing for Hollywood. His story and breakdown begins in the school of Pencey Prep, a boarding school set in Pennsylvania. The setting for the early chapters in the narration is his "terrible" school, to which he describes the atmosphere to be “as cold as the December air on Thomsen Hill”. Holden’s student career at Pencey Prep has been destroyed by his refusal to apply himself. We know this after Holden explains he failed four of his five subjects, passing only English. Due to his lack of effort and determination, he was forbidden to return to the school after the term. The Saturday before Christmas vacation began, Holden overlooked the football field, where Pencey usually

“I spent my whole childhood wishing I were older and now I'm spending my adulthood wishing I were younger.” Ricky Schroder. Some may want to grow old and some may want to stay young forever. Holden Caulfield describes his massive fears of change through symbolizes in his quick break of from school. J.D. Salinger displays throughout the revolutionary novel, Catcher in the Rye, that the wild that live in the pond in Central Park, New York, symbolizes multiple fears to Holden Caulfield.

Figurative language is one the most creative tools in the english language. Salinger models three in particular examples of that stand out the most. He uses these toget his point across. In The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger uses motifs, symbols, and extended metaphors to convey his idea that innocence can not be prevented.

In the Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, there are many items of symbolism. The symbolism in the story keeps Holden sain. Some items of symbolism are Holden's’ brothers baseball mit, the schools Holden gets kicked out of, and the carousels gold rings. The baseball mit and the carousels’ gold rings are positive representation of symbolism, whereas the schools, are negative.

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.

When people grow up for some it is painless while for others it is difficult. J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye is a book about a boy named Holden who is scared to grow up, he tries to hold on to his childhood for as long as he can. Growing up is something that Holden fears as seen throughout the story. Salinger revels Holden’s fear of change through The Museum of Natural History, Little Shirley Beans Record, and the ducks in Central Park.

I do think this is a very nice act of the Delany family, letting the poor come into their house to be fed like that. I wonder how much food they gave out throughout the years they lived at Saint Aug’s. This is just another example of the love the Delanys have shown towards others in the world. I predict that later in their lives, they would give their hands to white people who were in trouble, too. (78 words)

Recently a teenager posted a racist comment on social media and it blew up. People from everywhere started sharing it, even people that weren’t apart of it. In today’s society these kinds of things happen all the time. We try to put a stop to it just like Holden, from The Catcher in the Rye, does. In the J.D Salinger novel the main character, Holden, goes into a bathroom stall and sees “someone written ‘Fuck you’ on the wall.” He tries to wipe it off so no kids see the vulgar word and start using it themselves. Through Salinger’s use of symbolism, he depicts the message of innocence in The Catcher in the Rye is that we lose our beautiful outlook on life and this is a problem because kids are becoming everyday sinners.

Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is depicted as a person who has an apathetic voice. However, Salinger uses certain symbols, such as the red hair, the ducks, and Allie’s baseball mitt, to give Holden has a sensitive voice in The Catcher in the Rye.

“Where has my heart gone An uneven trade for the real world Oh I... I want to go back to

Symbolism The Catcher in the Rye Famous Hollywood actor Johnny Depp once said “ As a teenager I was so insecure. I was the type of guy that never fitted in because he never dared to choose. I was convinced I had absolutely no talent at all. For nothing. And that thought took ambition too.”

Catcher in the Rye Formal Essay In the novel "The Catcher in the Rye," J.D Salinger uses symbolism to detail and characterize Holden on his journey of discovery and coming of age. Using this to his advantage, Salinger repeatedly uses symbols to demonstrate Holden's unconscious resistance towards change and thereby his fear of growing up. Throughout the novel we see how this character is being unraveled through three symbols: his childish interests towards the ducks in central park, his fondness of the Museum of Natural History, and his misinterpretation of lyrics of the poem “Coming Thro the Rye.” Holden’s infatuation with the ducks becomes apparent from very early in the book and establishes not only the beginnings of his character but also his childish thoughts and behaviors.

Considered one of the best novels of the 20th century, The Catcher in the Rye has affected readers around the globe since its publication in 1951. Its contemporary critics, however, gave the novel mixed reviews. Compared to the ideals of 1950s America, Holden Caulfield, the emotionally immature, extremely judgmental, teen-aged main character of “Catcher,” embodies the antithesis. Holden was an affront to the new social order, which demanded conformity and propagated the “father knows best” mentality. Americans, however, despite the postwar economic boom, remained suspicious of authority. In idyllic suburban neighborhoods across the country, while families huddled around their new television screens, people discussed their neighbors’ movements, made distrustful even of their closest friends by the “Red Scare”. The American Dream seemed like a golden ring just out of reach, leaving people feeling like they were going around in circles without a clear destination or purpose. With his sense of nostalgia for better times, his bleak perspective of the future, and his contradictory nature, Holden speaks directly to this sense of confusion at the world that Americans felt during the 1950s.

The author from The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger utilizes motifs loneliness and depression to show how Holden a teenager from the book explains the struggles he had during the great depression. J.D. Salinger uses the motifs of loneliness and depression to illustrate the theme that when people feel lonely they try to connect with people to get rid of it.

"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of