The Red Hunting Hat Analysis

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 hunting hat is one of the main symbols in the book, The Catcher in the Rye. The hat represents individuality and uniqueness. It symbolizes the confidence, self esteem, and comfort in who someone is. Holden is only willing to express himself when he is alone, with no one around. He looks for approval. Holden does not want to be seen negatively in any way. The hat is a symbol that Holden uses to tell Phoebe that she should always stay the same. Also, to tell her that she should be confident in whom she is, but, as Holden knows, Confidence and self-esteem can be easily broken. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses Holden’s red hunting hat to symbolize Holden’s uniqueness and a sense security and comfort.

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

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

Through Holden’s red hat we see his originality, need for protection, and his innocence which is discovered within the hat. The red hunting hat is an essential element of his, symbolizing uniqueness, as it was a hat no one wore often. [“The way he wore it, he swung the old peak way around to the back—very corny, he'll admit, but he liked it that way. He looked good in it that way.”] (3.3) He is aware that the hat is unusual but doesn't mind because he feels like it makes him stand out , he takes it off when in hotel lobbies, when going to the bar, and most other public places. The hat connects

The museum is an example of how Holden wants to live. He is set in a world where everything around him is changing and becoming different at all times, he just wants the world to be simple and understanding. I feel

Holden’s red hunting hat is his way of expressing that he is different from everyone else. In the beginning of the book, right after he met with Mr. Spencer, Holden

First, because Holden’s hat is so unique looking, he uses it as a way to set himself apart from all the fake people in the world. Holden looks down upon people who conform to society’s expectations, so he wears his silly looking hat to make himself feel special. Second, Holden’s hat represents his desire to emulate his late brother Allie. Holden idolizes Allie because “he was the most intelligent member in the family. He was also the nicest” (43). Because Allie is dead, he would not be able to disappoint Holden or show himself to be a phony. Holden’s hat is childish which connects to Allie, because Allie dies of leukemia when he was young. The hat also physically represents Allie because Allie was a red-head and the hunting hat is read. Holden’s red hunting hat is used by Salinger to represent Holden’s desire to be different and his desire to connect with his. late brother,

Daniel Cho 7/25/16 AP Literature The Power of the Red Hunting Hat The red hunting hat was a memento that Holden found appealing because it was an item that Holden wanted to remember for a special purpose. Most of the teenagers could relate to Holden because Holden was depicted as an immature teenager. The red hunting hat was the most important item that Holden had to talk about not descriptively, but tried to talk about in a way that Holden wanted the audience to be part of the story. Despite the emotions and Phoebe’s influences, Holden was wearing the red hunting hat, which made Holden create rules for him that had led him to become a depressing character who was able to learn the harsh reality of life.

Holden is in the “transitional stage”(Hans Bungert) that most teenagers would call as “the unhappy phase of life”(Hans Bungert). This further shows this limbo that he is in by giving more details of actual things that are happening to him. The hair also symbolizes the half mind that he is by the hair actually being on only one side of his head. Even his own body is expressing that he is not an adult yet but once again he tries to cover it up. He does this by putting on the red hunting hat. The red hunting hat is a symbol for his childhood. This hat gets him closer to childhood, as it is something that an adult wouldn’t wear. In fact, this hat is what makes Holden himself because as he hides his grey hair, he shows his infamous red hat. Everytime he is going to experience something new and adventurous he puts it on. When he puts the red hat on, he is a step closer to

In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden, the main character, buys a red hunting hat in New York City the morning he left his team’s fencing equipment on the subway. Holden “…swung the old peak way around to the back- very corny” (Salinger 18). Holden is embarrassed to wear his hat in public places, but not when he is in private. Holden bought the hat to be unique and to show his individuality. Walking back to the hotel, Holden put his red hunting hat on. He didn’t care “…how [he] looked. [He] even put the earlaps down” (Salinger 88). Holden’s hat becomes an important symbol because it shows how Holden wants to see himself. He can be as tough and as unique as he wants when he is wearing his hat. While Phoebe is riding the

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

Holden wants to connect with Allie and does so by wearing on a red hunting hat which is a connection to his brother's red hair and keeps him dry in the storm. The cap allows him to feel ostracized from society and keeps Allie's memory retained. The cap is practical at times but is foolish-looking, with its extra-long bill and earflaps. It represents Holden's delightful attraction to unusual qualities, in objects as well as people, that others might miss. He realizes that the hat is unfashionable and occasionally is careful about who sees it, but he loves it anyway.

In the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, misunderstood protagonist Holden Caulfield retells his experiences as a teenager in New York City from within rehabilitation. A recurring motif within the novel is Holden’s red hunting cap. Holden’s red hunting hat is a symbol of protection and also symbolizes Holden’s independence and his desire to be different from everyone around him.