What Does The Carousel Symbolize In Catcher In The Rye

People need to read Catcher in the Rye at least once before they die. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is a book that takes the reader inside the head of Holden Caulfield, a depressed sixteen-year-old, who enters a strange series of adventures in New York City. Holden writes his story from a mental hospital in California, about how he was expelled from a fancy prep school, his experiences after spending a few days in NYC. The book has had critical success since its publication in 1951, selling sixty-five million total copies, after a splendid review from the New York Times. Catcher in the Rye is a great novel because of its subtle symbolism, amazing portrayal of Holden Caulfield and ends on a higher note than most people realize.

During Holden’s conversation with Horowitz, Horowitz talks a lot about the fish in the lagoon, which symbolize adults, and make Holden feel different, more desperate and like he doesn’t belong anywhere. In the course of the conversation, Horowitz keeps saying that the fish “don’t go no place” (92) because the lagoon is “their nature” (92) and Mother Nature takes care of them. Holden is not satisfied with Horowitz’s argument and he says that “the fish is different” (92) and that he is “talking about the ducks” (92). Holden seems to compare the fish to adults, in contrast to the ducks who he compares to himself, and he completely rejects everything Horwitz says about the fish instead of trying to apply it to himself. The fact that Holden can’t

In the book Holden is constantly fighting with himself. The ducks in the pond signify a fight within him. The fight to be young again; go back to his innocent years, when everything was just a game and there was no consequences. When he asks the cab driver about the ducks he most likely knows where they go but is curious. In the books entirety Holden contradicts himself fully. He tells the reader the he does not like lying, but is always telling lies about big and little tings. Such as when he lies to Ernest’s mother on the train about having to have an operation done. He also lies to the girls in the Lavender

Through the short journey that Holden goes through in the novel and the interactions and experiences, fights and struggles that Holden partakes in, the reader watches and is delivered the authors ideas on life. There are three main symbols that directly introduce the theme and these symbols those are the red hunting hat, the ducks in central park, and the carousel. By using these symbols the author shows the literary ability of being able to skillfully use symbols as a tool.

In this passage of the book, Holden is thinking scientifically. This supports the fact that he is smart after all, even though he his failing most of his classes. Often times, a teenager wants something so bad, they come up with crazy and somewhat stupid ideas and plans to help them obtain that something. Maybe this is because he does not want to try or maybe he wants to fit in with others who would not accept him if he was smart. In this metaphor, he is comparing himself the ducks in Central Park when the lagoon freezes over. What Holden is really saying is the fact that he would not know where to go if he stays living in a place full of phonies and rude people. The ducks cannot swim in ice and he will not stay in a school full of fakes.

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 In the Central Park Lagoon are impactful to the book because they represent the exact opposite characteristic than that of the main character Holden. The ducks represent beneficial decisions at times of adversity, while Holden struggles to guide himself in the right direction at these times. Holden is very hung up on where the ducks in the pond go in the winter when the pond is frozen and no longer suitable for them to live in. Holden will often bring it up during conversation, as he did with a cab driver, he asked “well, you know the ducks that swim around in it? In the springtime and all? Do you happen to know where in the

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.

The transition from the youth to adult world often allows innocence to be left behind; corresponding with the difficulty to accept change and responsibilities which results in the corruption of purity. Holden is characterized in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in The Rye, through symbols incorporated throughout the novel such as highlighting his fear of change, and his respect towards children's innocence as being huge characterized aspects throughout the novel, Holden’s red hunting hat symbolizes his unique character, innocence, and need for protection. The ducks in Central Park symbolize Holden’s thoughts of loneliness and his emotional instability, his forestalled development, and his fear of change. The title of the book itself, The Catcher in the Rye, is an important symbol as it displays Holden’s obsession to save children from losing their innocence.

Holden is very inquisitive about where the ducks in Central Park go in the winter. His questioning the cab drivers of this shows a youthful willingness in him to discover what he is curious about. “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?” (60) The cab drivers give mostly thoughtless

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

Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help develop and inform the text's major themes. One of the recurring themes in the novel The Catcher in the Rye is the omnipresent theme of death. It could be argued that the novel is not only full of references to death in the literal sense, physical disappearance, but also in the metaphorical, taking the form of spiritual disappearance, something which Holden often focuses on, along with the actual theme of mortality. It is possible that this occurs because of his reluctance to interact with the living world. As his means of escaping from the reality he despises, his mundane thoughts and the “phoniness” that he is surrounded by. Holden becomes increasingly attracted

Holden uses the ducks to represent himself, because they have to face the rest of the world, which is the ice they are surrounded by in winter. He doesn't want to become a phony adult, and uses James Castle as an example. He took his own life and in Holden’s eyes you are running away from your problems and a phony. His little sister, Phoebe, is still a child and he wants to do everything in his power

In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield resists the idea of growing up. Throughout the book Holden struggles with the transition from childhood to adulthood. This is partly because the only times he remembers being happy is in places he made childhood memories in. For example, the Carousel in Central Park is where he has many happy childhood memories with his siblings. As the book goes on, the setting of the Central Park Carrousel is the place where Holden ultimately accepts that he has to grow up. His reasons for accepting that he has to grow are Phoebe’s actions at the carrousel , the rain, the symbolism of the golden ring and the Carrousel music.