Catcher In The Rye

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Catcher In The Rye

• Symbols

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Symbols

• Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and
  colours used to represent abstract ideas or
  concepts.

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The Red Hat

• Pg 15 I put on this hat that Id bought in New
  York that morning. It was this red hunting hat
  with, with one of those very, very long peaksThe
  way I wore it, I swung the old peak way round to
  the very back very corny, Ill admit, but I
  liked it that way. I looked good in it that
  way.
• Find the next references to the hat on pages18,
  19 and 29 (yellow book 21, 26, 38)
• Note the quotes
• What do you think is the significance of the hat
  at this point?
• Does Holden seem to use it in any specific way?

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The Red Hat

• She took off my red hunting hat the one I gave
  her and practically chucked it in my face. (pg
  186)
• then what she did it damn near killed me she
  reached in my pocket and took out my red hunting
  hat and put it on my head. (pg 190)

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What does the hat symbolise?

• It is a symbol of his uniqueness and
  individuality. The hat is outlandish, and it
  shows that Holden desires to be different from
  everyone around him.
• At the same time, he is very self-conscious about
  the hathe always mentions when he is wearing it,
  and he often doesnt wear it if he is going to be
  around people he knows.
• The presence of the hat, therefore, mirrors the
  central conflict in the book Holdens need for
  isolation versus his need for companionship.

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What does the hat symbolise?

• It is worth noting that the hats color, red, is
  the same as that of Allies and Phoebes hair.
• Perhaps Holden associates it with the innocence
  and purity he believes these characters represent
  and wears it as a way to connect to them.

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The Ducks

• Pg 11 I was thinking about the lagoon in
  central ParkI was wondering whether it would be
  frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where
  did all the ducks go. I was wondering where all
  the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and
  frozen over. I wondered if some guy came in a
  truck and took them away to a zoo or something.
  Or if they just flew away.
• Watch out for other references Holden makes to
  the ducks
• You may begin to see a pattern in when or why he
  mentions them make a note of these moments

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What do the ducks symbolise?

• Their mysterious perseverance in the face of an
  inhospitable environment resonates with Holdens
  understanding of his own situation.
• The ducks prove that some vanishings are only
  temporary. Traumatized and made acutely aware of
  the fragility of life by his brother Allies
  death, Holden is terrified by the idea of change
  and disappearance. The ducks vanish every winter,
  but they return every spring, thus symbolizing
  change that isnt permanent, but cyclical.
• The pond itself becomes a minor metaphor for the
  world as Holden sees it, because it is partly
  frozen and partly not frozen. The pond is in
  transition between two states, just as Holden is
  in transition between childhood and adulthood.

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Motifs

• Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and
  literary devices that can help to develop and
  inform the texts major themes.