Holden's Red Hunting Hat Symbol Analysis

Linda Luaces

Mrs. Baker

IB English I HL—Period 5

14 October 2014

Choose a novel or play in which a specific inanimate object is important and write an essay in which you show how the object serves the author’s purpose.

The Symbolism of Holden’s Red Hunting Hat in The Catcher in the Rye

In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses symbolism to highlight the stages of development that occur throughout Holden’s life. Salinger’s use of Holden’s red hunting hat helps the reader better understand him, both physically and mentally, at different periods of his adolescence. His mental state of mind helps dictate his actions, which allow Holden to further develop; making them a crucial aspect of the novel. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D.

Salinger uses Holden’s dependence on the red hunting hat and its effect on him to represent his behavior and emotions throughout the steps of his maturation.
Topic: Holden’s dependence on the red hunting hat and the effect it had on the way he acts, and matures.
Detail 1: “It felt sort of cozy. I took off my coat and my tie and unbuttoned my shirt collar; and then I put on this hat that I’d bought in New York that morning. It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks.” (pg.10).
Effect: Holden purchases the red hunting hat after leaving behind his belongings on the subway.

He is upset with himself for his careless action. Returning back to the room and putting this hat on bring him a sense of ease. The author’s use of the word “cozy” and “unbuttoned” allow the readers to feel the same comfort that Holden is experiencing while wearing this red hunting hat. The hat with a “very, very long peak” is now associated with this feeling of ease. The repetition of the word “very”, along with the descriptive language used by the author allows the readers to picture Holden with the hat. Holden’s use of the red hat, as a distraction from reality, begin to show his lack of

maturity.
Detail 2: “I was sort of crying. I don’t know why. I put my red hunting hat on, and turned the peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I yelled at the top of my goddamn voice, “Sleep tight, ya morons!” I’ll bet I woke up every bastard on the whole floor. Then I got the hell out. Some stupid guy had thrown peanut shells all over the stairs, and I damn near broke my neck.”(pg. 29)
Effect: The use of the words “crying” and “yelled” make it clear that Holden is upset, and has conflicting feelings of sadness and rage.

This is common at his age. His mood swings and flaring temper are shown throughout the novel. Holden’s anger is emphasized by the use of profanities. He experiences feelings of grief as well, because he is unhappy with his life in Pency. To make these feelings worse, Holden had recently been involved in a fight. He turns to his red hunting hat for the feeling of comfort that he is missing. It is evident that the hat makes him feel stronger. Once the hat is on his head, Holden feels more comfortable yelling and defending himself. At this point despite his reliance on the hat, Holden takes action and decides to go on a trip to New York City which shows progress towards independence and

maturity.
Detail 3: “I took out my old hunting hat out of my pocket while I walked, and put it on. I knew I wouldn’t meet anybody that knew me, and it was pretty damp out. (pg. 66)
Effect: This time, when Holden makes a reference to the hunting hat he calls it his “old hunting hat” instead of his “red hunting hat”. This word choice shows the progression of time, while symbolizing his acceptance of the hat as a part of his life. Referring to it as old helps show that the hat has been around for a lot of Holden’s experiences. Holden not only shows his reliance on it emotionally but physically as well, since he is using it for the “damp” weather. In the beginning of the novel, Holden was not comfortable wearing this hat in public at all, but as it becomes part of him he finds it acceptable to wear out as long as he does not “meet anybody that [knows him].” Since the red hat is in his pocket, the reader is informed that Holden takes his hat everywhere. The dependence on the red hunting hat is developing which is once again demonstrating his lack of maturity
Detail 4: “I sort of tried to make a date with her for when she got through working, but she wouldn’t do it… She was nice, though. I showed her my goddamn red hunting hat, and she liked it. She made me put it on before I went out, because my hair was still pretty wet. She was all right.” (pg.82)
Effect: In this scene Holden is drunk at a bar. He got in some trouble earlier that night, and despite all of this the hat is still with him. The image of Holden in a vulnerable state verify his lack of progression. Not only is he dependent on the hat, but now he can barely make decisions on his own. Holden is embarrassing himself by making drunken phone calls and dropping Phoebe’s record. This shows a further acceptance of the hat into his life. He is showing a girl that he is interested in the red hunting hat that he once found strange. It is now clear that this hat has a part in every aspect of his life: romantically, socially and physically. Holden once again uses the hat as protection from the cold.
Detail 5: “My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way; but I got soaked anyway. I didn’t care though. I felt so damn happy all of the sudden…” (pg. 114)
Effect: Holden has experienced some hard times, and he is both physically and mentally ill but in this moment, while he is sitting and watching Phoebe, he is content. The fragment “quite a lot of protection” is impactful. It is the first time that Holden realizes the effect the red hunting hat had on him. This hat was placed on his head by Phoebe in this scene. The placing of the hat and Phoebe’s smile back at him shows that she loves him for who he is. Holden learns that everyone needs to grow up on their own and this is the biggest step in him maturing. Although he may not be an adult, he realizes that he needs to let Phoebe become independent, and that in reality nothing is going to protect anyone from all their problems. Earlier in the novel, he would wear his hat for “dampness,” and now he is “soaking wet” and he does not care. The diction throughout this demonstrates how dramatic the change that occurred was. He realized that for the rest of his life he would have problems and accepted that there will be obstacles but that he must learn to overcome them on his own.