Innocence. Is it important to protect it? Is there a way to avoid losing it? As its title implies, the dominating theme of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is the protection of innocence, especially that of children. Continually implied by the presence of Allie’s spirit (Holden Caulfield’s younger brother who lost his life as a child). Holden is The Catcher in the Rye because he feels as if he needs to catch others that are jumping into maturity (death) of childhood to save them . This theme is displayed throughout the novel with the use of both symbolism and setting. The Catcher in the Rye presents the idea that the loss of innocence is a form of death. For many, growing up can feel like the death of one’s innocence without a doubt, …show more content…
maturity requires some to experience nightmarish situations. THE RED HUNTING CAP Similarly, Holden’s staple red hunting cap is a true symbol of his childlike enthusiasm for such a simple or even strange object.
Holden purchases this foolish looking cap on the morning he loses something important (fencing equipment). This shows that Holden is fascinated by things that are unusual.Which again proves his undermined innocence. Holden states “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.” This statement made by Caulfield demonstrates the unusual wonder for such a kid like hat. He goes on to say “ I saw it in the window of this sports store when we got out of the subway, just after I noticed I'd lost all the goddam foils. It only cost me a buck. The way I wore it, I swung the old peak way around to the back—very corny, I'll admit, but I liked it that way. I looked good in it that way.” (Salinger 33) In saying this, Caulfield reaches for comfort in a childish hat. A hat that could seem ridiculous to most but if worn by a child, the innocence shields the judging of …show more content…
others. THE BASEBALL MITT The reader can go on to assume that maybe Holden Caulfield associates growing up to growing older and closer to death because when his younger brother died they were both kids. After his death Holden has to grow up with death (Allie’s Spirit). Additionally, Holden feels that he left his brother behind in the memories of their childhood together. First of all, there are various symbols presented in the story.
Such as Allie’s baseball glove and Holden’s red hunting cap. To better illustrate the importance of the baseball mitt which belonged to the late Allie Caulfield one must first understand the uniqueness it holds. The glove is left as a physical representation of Allie. With its scribbled poems in green ink and the actual fact that the glove is not a catcher’s mitt, but a fielder’s glove. The poems written on the mitt hold a sense of optimism yet an almost tragic hope due to the mitt’s discarded use. Just the color of the ink could represent vitality and life. However the hurt from the death of Holden’s younger brother has affected him to the point of
violence. “I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage. I don't blame them. I really don't. I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it. I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer, but my hand was already broken and everything by that time, and I couldn't do it. It was a very stupid thing to do, I'll admit, but I hardly didn't even know I was doing it, and you didn't know Allie. My hand still hurts me once in a while when it rains and all, and I can't make a real fist any more – not a tight one, I mean – but outside of that I don't care much. I mean I'm not going to be a goddam surgeon or a violinist or anything anyway”.(Salinger 57) This block quote goes to show that after the death of Allie, Holden is faced with true grief. Holden’s own innocence is stripped completely as he pounds and breaks windows, wounding his hand in doing so.The glove, the protection of Allie’s hand as he played baseball is now no longer needed. Holden’s hand, due to his release of emotions is now no longer protected. CONCLUSION Accordingly, the memories of Holden’s childhood leads him to a nostalgic sense of innocence and safety. When the hat is presented he reveals that he feels quite comfortable with wearing it. The innocence that he holds within him as he proudly wears his bright red hunting cap directly protects him from the terrible judgement of others. However, when the glove will no longer be in use because of Allie’s death to Leukimia at the age of only 11; Holden releases all of his inner conflict as he loses his younger brother, his best friend. He is no longer innocent and loving as the story foreshadows with its progression
The baseball mitt was significant to Holden as it displayed how emotionally attached that he was towards his brother, Allie. Holden carries this glove everywhere that he goes, as this glove is a symbol of his late brother. With this glove, Holden is reminded of Allie’s personality, intelligence, and his spirits which are with Holden. This mitt is significant to Holden as it was Allie’s favorite to write his poem with green ink so that he could read them on the field when he was bored. For Stradlater’s composition assignment, Holden wrote about his bothers left-handed fielder’s mitt as it meant allot to him. This shows how deeply connected that he was towards his brother, therefore when he died he broke all the garage windows, which caused him
Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, the movie Pleasantville, and even in real life, a theme constant is the theme of protection of innocence. The Catcher in the Rye portrays the idea of protection of innocence through the main character of Holden Caulfield. Holden is a highly troubled boy, and is constantly getting kicked out of schools. However, there is one idea he is fiercely serious about. He explains this idea to his sister when she presses him about his life choices. “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids...and nobody’s around-nobody big, I mean, except me....What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff...I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all”(Salinger 173). This quote spoken by Holden is him
Holden Caulfield, the teenage protagonist of Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, struggles with having to enter the adult world. Holden leaves school early and stays in New York by himself until he is ready to return home. Holden wants to be individual, yet he also wants to fit in and not grow up. The author uses symbolism to represent Holden’s internal struggle. While in New York with the fencing team, Holden loses all of their equipment, then buys a red hunting hat.
Allie’s baseball mitt is a very important symbol in the novel. It is connected to the novel, because the heart of the novel is Holden's grief over his brother's death and his inability to accept it. When Holden finds out that his brother Allie died, he is in denial because he refuses to accept Allie’s death. Holden is in denial because he thinks why his innocent brother had to die and not him. Because Holden needs help dealing with this grief he must always take out the mitt, and acknowledge his feelings over Allie in order to release himself from the guilt he feels. When Holden’s roommate at Pencey, Stradlater, asks him to write a descriptive essay, Holden writes about Allie’s baseball mitt. Holden treats the mitt differentially, taking it with him to Pencey and copying “down the poems that were written on it” (Salinger 38). For Holden, t...
The red hunting hat was exchanged between Holden and Phoebe as a sign of reassurance that Holden will watch over and protect her. Another example is, Holden’s goal in life to become a catcher in the rye in order to protect his sister from falling off “the cliff,” which is a representation of the loss of innocence which can occur as a result of trauma. Trauma effects everyone at some point in their life, and understand the importance of it, and how to cope with the realities of life will only
The novel “The Catcher in the Rye,” revolves around the protagonist Holden Caulfield as the story is told from his perspective. J.D. Salinger constructed Holden Caulfield as a cynical person who cannot accept to grow up. Throughout “The Catcher in the Rye,” J.D. Salinger uses symbolism to reveal and reinforce critical aspects of the protagonist Holden Caulfield. Three important aspects Holden acquired through Salinger’s use of symbolism are: his stubborn, uncompromising mentality; his softer, more caring respectful side; Holden’s cowardly way of acting and thinking.
Some people have special tokens in their lives, which they hold dear to their hearts. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger shows Holden Caufield’s special object to be his red hunting hat, which he bought at a local store for a dollar. This hat holds symbolic meaning throughout the novel. Although it simply is a red hat, in The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger shows that it is so much more, for it acts as Holden’s security blanket, allows him to show his inner confidence, and his homesickness throughout the novel.
J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye tells an unforgettable story of teenage angst by highlighting the life of Holden Caulfield, a young boy who commences a journey of self-discovery after being expelled from his private boarding school. Throughout the novel, Holden struggles with issues such as self-identity, loss, and a wavering sense of belonging. Holden’s red hunting hat is consistently used throughout the story as a symbol of his independence and his attachment to his childhood. From the very moment he receives it, Holden’s red hunting hat becomes a symbol of his own alienation. After traveling to New York for a fencing match and losing the team’s equipment on the subway, Holden is outcast by his teammates, who are angry that he hindered their ability to compete in the match.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s outlook in life is either the innocence of childhood or the cruelty of adulthood. He believes that the innocence of childhood is very valuable and it should be protected from the cruelty and phoniness of the adult world. Therefore Holden has a desire and is compelled to protect a child’s innocence at all costs. This is revealed when Holden tells Phoebe that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. Holden says to Phoebe, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they’re ru...
Have you ever pondered about when growing up, where does our childlike innocence go and what happens to us to go through this process? It involves abandoning previous memories that are close to our hearts. As we can see in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, we listen to what the main character; Holden Caulfield has to say about it. Holden is an average teenager dealing with academic and life problems. He remains untouched over his expulsion from Pencey Prep; rather, he takes the opportunity to take a “vacation.” As he ventures off companionless in New York City, we are able to observe many things about him. We see that Holden habitually states that he is depressed and undoubtedly, wants to preserve the innocence of others.
Innocence lies within everyone in at least one point in their lives, but as reality consumes them, that purity begins to vanish slowly as they learn new experiences. In the coming of age novel set in the nineteen-forties, J.D Salinger writes about a sixteen-year-old boy named Holden Caulfield who stands between a road that separates childhood from adulthood and is confused about which path to take. On a three-day trip in New York away from his family and fellow peers at school, Holden encounters many situations in which lead him to think twice about who he wants to become and how he wants to guide others who are in the same situation he is in. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger utilizes symbolism, vivid imagery, and slangy diction to expose Holden’s struggle to preserve the innocence of the people that he loves while alienating himself from the adult world he calls “phony.”
If there were one word to tell what the theme of the book was it would be innocence. How we are all innocent at some point, how to try to keep our innocence, and how no one can keep their innocence forever. We all fall from our innocence. Adam and Eve fell from grace and innocence and set the tone for all of our lives. Throughout the whole book Holden is trying to make people keep their innocence and he wants to hold onto it himself. What he needs to learn and does learn through the course of the book is that no one can keep his or her innocence. We all fall at some point, but what we have control over is how hard we fall.
Growing up and becoming mature can be an intimidating experience; it is difficult to let go of one’s childhood and embrace the adult world. For some people, this transition from youthfulness to maturity can be much more difficult than for others. These people often try to hold on to their childhood as long as they can. Unfortunately, life is not so simple. One cannot spend their entire life running from the responsibilities and hardships of adulthood because they will eventually have to accept the fact that they have a role in society that they must fulfill as a responsible, mature individual. The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger follows the endeavours of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old teenage boy who faces a point in his life where he must make the transition from childhood to adulthood. In an attempt to retain his own childhood, he begins hoping to stop other young children from growing up and losing their innocence as well. As indicated by the title, “The Catcher in the Rye” is a book that explores a theme involving the preservation of innocence, especially of children. It is a story about a boy who is far too hesitant to grow up, and feels the need to ensure that no one else around him has to grow up either. His own fear of maturity and growing up is what leads to Holden’s desire to become a “catcher in the rye” so he can save innocent children from becoming part of the “phoniness” of the adult world.
Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield expresses his hatred for grownups, adulthood, and losing his innocence. The title of the novel reflects Holden’s need for innocence. A catcher in the rye is a symbol for saving childhood and innocence. He wants to be the ‘catcher’ for childhood who go too close to the edge of adulthood and fall off the metaphorical cliff of childhood. He believes that children should be able to enjoy their youth, because it won’t last forever. That’s why he tells Phoebe to grab the golden ring on the carousel. Holden says, “...The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it is bad to say anything to them.”. This quote helps explain the claim
One recurring theme in ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ was innocence. This included Holden’s determination to protect children from losing their innocence as he had, how Holden attempted to hold onto some of his innocence and how he managed to come to terms with growing up and reaching adulthood.