What Does The Red Hunting Hat Symbolize In Catcher In The Rye

The world is full of images. Images are motionless in nature, yet they capture the essence of moments. These images help people in better understanding what the moment is about or what it is trying to illustrate. Similarly, Symbols work in the same manner. In this case, symbols aided in depicting J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and its main character, Holden Caulfield. The novel presents four vital symbols—namely, The red hunting hat, the ducks, the Carrousel, and the golden ring. All of these objects symbolize a specific aspect of The Catcher in the Rye and help in effectively portraying Holden’s emotions, thoughts and his story overall.

The first symbol that appears in the novel is the red hunting hat. It is perhaps one of the most

The object firstly appears in chapter 2 when Holden is talking to Mr. Spencer, he said “I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park. I was wondering if it would be frozen when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go. I wondered if some guy came in a truck and took them away to a zoo or something. Or if they just flew away” (16). Although this may only seem like a question out of his curiosity, it might actually be Holden trying to tell the readers that he was quite lonesome. Later in the book when he was travelling alone, he would often times ask the taxi drivers where the ducks went. Coincidentally, he would be feeling miserable and alone during those instances. Given these points, the ducks would likely allude to his isolation. Furthermore, his description as to what may happen to the ducks is substantial as well. He would ask if someone would take them in or would the ducks fly away. Going back to what he said that someone would take the ducks, he could have been insinuating the likelihood of someone actually accepting him because, in retrospect, Holden frequently changed schools and the fact that Holden constantly changed schools, says a lot about how people include him in their groups. Perhaps that is the reason why he asked if the ducks just flew away; he himself is a duck, constantly in search for a place where he would feel safe and included because in the

_____ The Carrousel and the gold ring the end both encapsulate that specific theme. These symbols appear in chapter 25, when Phoebe and Holden are at the park. Later, when Phoebe invites Holden to ride with her, he kindly declines saying “No, I’ll just watch you. I think I’ll just watch” (232). Now, when Phoebe is riding the carrousel, Holden ____ those children who reached out for the gold ring, saying “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’s bad if you say anything to them” (232). It is quite possible that these two quotes suggest that Holden is finally accepting his coming of age. Carousels are normally ridden by children, and in the novel, Holden decides not ride it. His course of action subconsciously allows the readers to realize that he is genuinely fine with maturing. On the other hand, the gold ring symbolizes the inescapability and adversities of growing up given the fact that everyone will do so on their lonesome. On top of that, Holden mentions earlier that people should let children grab the gold ring and let them be, even stating that it would be normal should the children fall off. That in itself implies that individuals will have to grow up eventually and possibly get hurt in the process – pertaining to the children reaching for the gold ring. Albeit