What Does The Red Hunting Hat Symbolize

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger entwines an assortment of symbols into the book that provides the basis for the rest of the story, as well as the development of theme. Salinger uses symbolism to develop the story and create an overall message of the novel, specifically using the red hunting hat. The author implements us with hints, letting us know that the hat represents his loneliness and desire for friendship. Throughout the novel, J.D. Salinger establishes this item into a theme by way of Holden and his actions.
To begin with, the red hunting hat signifies Holden’s desire for friends, but also his alienation (Lorcher). Throughout the book, Holden is seen with his hat, both on and off of him; however, Holden mostly wears his

hat when there is no one around that he knows. Holden says, “The hat I bought had earlaps in it, and I put them on-I didn’t give a damn how I looked. Nobody was around anyway. Everybody was in the sack” (Salinger 53). He only cares about how he looks when he is around those who would judge him and those he sees on a daily basis (Salinger 122).
When people think of a hunting hat, normally it would be bright orange; Holden’s is red. Red is also the color of Phoebe’s and Allie’s hair, two of his siblings who he cares immensely about. Since hunting hats are bright orange, when someone sees it, they will go the other way. This explains the isolation side of the hat. He wears the hat to stand out and be different (individuality) so people think otherwise of going towards him. Holden does this when writing and reading; he puts the hat on so no one bothers him (Salinger 19).
In order of the hat to represent Holden’s yearning for companionship, Holden has to take the hat off. He becomes another person when the hat is off, putting up a front to who he really is and how he really feels. He wants to be his own person, but he is afraid that everyone will judge him. The hat is described as a “deer shooting hat,” according to Ackley . How many people would stare at this one guy if he was seen walking around with a hat on that stands out from the rest (Symbols and motifs)? Holden’s personality is unique and it shows through the usage of the hat (Symbols and motifs).
Even though he calls most of the population a “phony,” he still wants to have friends and have traits that the “phonies” have.

In the beginning of chapter 8, Holden calls David and two girls from a magazine phonies (Salinger 53). He wants to be David, with the girls hanging on him and posses accentuated body characteristics. These are traits that he presumes will make him better blend and fit into his community.
All the importance of the red hunting hat ties together the theme of the novel. J.D. Salinger has taken the time to develop this item and make it the story. Starting with the very beginning of the novel, readers can tell that the hat is Holden’s security. He always has to have it with him and he most always has it on his head. It’s intriguing that a hat, at sixteen years old, became a prized item. Even though the hat is intended to be for his eyes only, Holden does say that he looks good in the hat (Salinger 18). His confidence is stored within the hat itself, but as time goes on, the hat holds something

else.
One day, it was snowing outside. When it’s cold out, most people would wear a hat. This is exactly what Holden does. It’s the first time the hat is mentioned in the middle of the book in a while. Holden is using the hat for its original intention; to keep dry and warm in the cold weather (Salinger 88). The hat is a trapper hat, so it is very furry and will keep someone warm. It will protect Holden from the ran and from the snow, just as it protects him from reality of the outside word.
Further along in the book, the audience will see again that the next time the hat is talked about, is when it was damp out and when he was in the park freezing. During this event, readers can tell that he still has an attachment to the hat, because he says, “Boy, I was still shivering like a bastard, and the back of my hair, even though I had my hunting hat on, was sort of full of little hunks of ice. That worried me. I thought probably I’d get pneumonia and die” (Salinger 154). If Holden was truly worried about himself, he would have gotten rid of the ice. However, this is also when Holden opens up about Allie’s funeral and not being able to go to it.
Holden is changing and growing up, henceforth, a theme is being created (Themes, Motifs, & Symbols). The red hunting hat really depicts this idea of Holden, not just being him and happy, but in the form of his character, he is developing. At the end of chapter 23, J.D. Salinger explains that Holden was wanting to leave so Phoebe gave him money and in return, Holden give his red hunting hat to her (Salinger 179-180). Phoebe refused to accept the hat, but Holden knew that she needed it while he planned on being away. This is the message. This is Holden maturing and stepping out. He doesn’t need the hat anymore. In all honesty, he didn’t really need it to begin with.
Another theme the red hunting hat contributes to is the idea of isolation.

Looking at the aforementioned, Holden wears the red hunting hat to drive people the other way. He wants to have people in his life, but he can’t seem to figure out how since he doesn’t fit in. The hat is Holden’s way of showing individuality; however, he uses this and his alienation to make himself seem like he is above everyone else (Themes, Motifs, & Symbols). Since the hat also represents his desire for friends and loneliness, Holden begins to get close with people, but then the protection of the hat makes him push people away. (Themes, Motifs, &

Symbols).
At the end of the story, J.D. Salinger presents the readers with another detail that supports how the red hunting hat develops over time and how it ties together with the theme. How Holden describes the hat when he saw it on Phoebe, it’s new viewpoint. “Finally, I saw her. I saw her through the glass part of the door. The reason I saw her, she had my crazy hat on -- you could see that hat about ten miles away” (Salinger 205). Holden calls his hat “crazy.” He is on the other side now. Holden can see what everyone else saw when he walked down the street. Holden isn’t the same person he was at the beginning of the book. This is also displayed as J.D. Salinger close to a closing of the novel. Phoebe pulls the red hunting hat out and places it on Holden. Holden said this killed him, but Phoebe said he needed to have it. This is the first time Holden was truly happy in an extremely long time. Everything was normal and Holden had grown.
In conclusion, Holden had two sides to himself. The side he pretended he could share with everyone and the real side, which he covered up and wore the hunting hat. The red hunting hat was the most important symbol in the novel because the whole story was based upon Holden’s alienation and wanting of friends. The hat is Holden’s comfort and the only thing he knows. From the beginning of the novel to the end of the novel, the hat has always been Holden and what he stands for, but towards the end, Salinger expresses it in a different way. The theme in which the red hat ties to is growing up and change. Holden was immature to start, but learned to grow up and open up to the world around him.