The Catcher in the Rye: Major Themes/Symbols

The red hunting hat:

Holden purchases the hat at the beginning of the novel, and it becomes a recurring symbol in the novel. Holden calls it his people-hunting hat, and it represents the ways in which Holden alienates himself from people. He wears it on different occasions throughout the novel, both indoors and outdoors. At a time when Holden finds himself struggling with questions of identity, the hat serves as an anchor and allows him to define himself. The hat also makes him stand out and is a stark reminder of the fact that he cannot really fit in. At the end of the novel, he gives the hat to Phoebe as a token of affection.

Innocence:

The very title of the book stands for someone who is dedicated to protecting children’s innocence. Holden resolves to preserve all that is pure and innocent in an increasingly “phony” world. Readers can also see this protective urge in his attitude toward Jane Gallagher. He knew her when they were young, and he is unable to come to terms with the fact that she is now a grown-up and may not be the innocent girl he knew. He seems preoccupied with the thought of preserving innocent memories of playing checkers with her. He also loses his temper when Stradlater goes on a date with Jane.

Holden’s attitude toward Phoebe also stems from his admiration of her innocence. To Holden, Phoebe represents all that is good in the world. He is perturbed by the “Fuck you” signs outside Phoebe’s school, and this shows that Holden is extremely serious about his task of preserving children’s innocence. He couldn’t accept the fact that someone would write obscene things in a school.

“Fuck You” signs:

Holden finds these signs scribbled on the walls in Phoebe’s school. He is deeply disturbed by the signs; it could be argued that the signs might read like a personal attack to Holden. It is as though all his efforts in life were ending in frustration. Every innocent thing was being corrupted by vulgarities. To Holden, these signs were symbolic of everything that was wrong with the world: the phonies, the bullies like Maurice who beat him up, Stradlater who went on a date with Jane. It is ironical that it could be students of the same school who had written that on the wall. In Holden’s mind however, children are pure and innocent and it is the adults who corrupt their minds.

Phoniness:

If there is one thing that Holden detests, it is phoniness. Holden finds all adults phony, which is a term he uses to describe anyone who acts in an affected manner that is not genuine or honest. It stands for hypocrisy, shallowness of character, and pretension. Individuals Holden considers in this category would include most adults: from the principal who is more polite to the parents of the students from rich families to Ossenburger who runs a funeral home that takes advantage of grieving people.

Children:

The novel is full of characters who are children. In the novel while Holden detests most of the adults, dismissing them as phonies or fakes, he does admire a few people for their innocence and honesty and many of them are children: be it Phoebe or Allie. To him they represent honesty and purity. One may also note that it from a child’s song that Holden discovers his purpose in life: to be a catcher in the rye, in other words, a person who would protect waylaid children in case they veered near a precipice. He would ‘catch’ them before they could fall.

The ducks in Central Park:

Holden stands out in the novel as someone who is different from the rest. He seems to have concerns that nobody else seems to care about. One of these are the ducks in the lagoon in Central Park. He asks a cab driver about them who is taken aback and concludes that Holden is not in the right state of mind. His fixation with the ducks does set him apart, like so many other things about him, but it also points to his rather sensitive nature that he hides beneath his rough exterior. Holden is capable of empathy and is someone who deeply cares about things for which others do not spare a thought. His obsession also points towards his fear of accepting change.