Catcher in the Rye: Symbolism

There were numerous symbols in the novel, catcher in the rye.  Many were people, and many were not.  However, all symbols were important to the quality of the story and contributed a lot.  A few symbols I noticed were people.  I believe many people represented an idea.  One example is Allie Caulfield.  Allie was Holden's younger brother who died during Holden's childhood.  Holden was very close with his brother so his death took an enormous toll on Holden.  Many years later, Holden still "talks" to Allie.  I believe Allie represents the childhood innocence that Holden values.  That is probably the main reason Allie is in the book.  He represents innocence and might even be a contributing factor to the reason Holden does not want to grow up.  Another symbol is Jane Gallagher.  Jane represents Holden's longing for a human connection.  He really wants to feel like he is being himself with someone, and he often thinks of Jane.  Jane seems like a symbol for Holden's longing.

Some other symbols in the novel are "The Catcher in the Rye".  He wants to catch kids and save them from going into the adult world.  He wants to save these kids like nobody saved him from falling into adulthood.  He wants to keep kids innocent instead of introducing them into the superficial adult world.  This symbol is so important because it pertains to the title and to the theme.  Another important symbol in this novel is Holden's hunting hat.  It makes him stand out and it is very unique.  This shows Holden's desire to stand out and be different.  This symbol shows a lot about Holden's personality and furthers the readers understanding on how he hates to be normal and phony.  One last symbol that I discovered was Holden's wondering about the ducks in the Central Park lake.  He wondered where they go during the winter.  This showed his innocent childlike side.  He wondered about these ducks because of his childlike curiosity.  This symbol is very important because it adds to the theme.  At first, I did not understand why Holden wondered about these ducks so much.  However, when more of his immaturity came out, it came more clear why he was asking.

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. Print.