essay on symbolism in catcher in the rye

'The Catcher in the Rye' Themes, Symbols, and Literary Devices

Innocence vs. phoniness, literary devices.

• B.A., English, Rutgers University

J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is a classic coming-of-age story. Narrated by sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield, the novel paints a portrait of a struggling teenage boy as he attempts to hide his emotional pain behind cynicism and false worldliness. Through the use of symbolism, slang, and an unreliable narrator, Salinger explores themes of innocence vs. phoniness, alienation, and death.

If you had to choose one word to represent The Catcher in the Rye , it would be "phony," Holden Caufield’s insult of choice and a word he uses to describe most of the people he meets and much of the world he encounters. For Holden, the word implies artifice, a lack of authenticity—pretension. He views phoniness as a sign of growing up, as if adulthood were a disease and phoniness its most obvious symptom. He has moments of faith in younger people, but invariably condemns all the adults as phonies.

The flip side of this is the value Holden puts on innocence, on being unspoiled. Innocence is typically assigned to children, and Holden is no exception, regarding his younger siblings as worthy of his affection and respect. His younger sister Phoebe is his ideal—she is intelligent and perceptive, talented and willful, but innocent of the terrible knowledge that Holden himself has gained with his extra six years (most notably concerning sex, which Holden wishes to protect Phoebe from). Holden’s dead brother, Allie, haunts him precisely because Allie will always be this innocent, being deceased.

Part of Holden’s torment is his own phoniness. While he does not consciously indict himself, he engages in many phony behaviors that he would abhor if he were to observe them in himself. Ironically, this prevents him from being innocent himself, which explains to some degree Holden’s self-loathing and mental instability.

Holden is isolated and alienated throughout the entire novel. There are hints that he is telling his story from a hospital where he is recovering from his breakdown, and throughout the story his adventures are consistently focused on making some sort of human connection. Holden self-sabotages constantly. He feels lonely and isolated at school, but one of the first things he tells us is that he’s not going to the football game everyone else is attending. He makes arrangements to see people, and then insults them and drives them away.

Holden uses alienation to protect himself from mockery and rejection, but his loneliness drives him to keep trying to connect. As a result, Holden’s sense of confusion and alarm grows because he has no true anchor to the world around him. Since the reader is tied to Holden’s point-of-view, that terrifying sense of being completely cut off from everything, of everything in the world not making sense, becomes a visceral part of reading the book.

Death is the thread that runs through the story. For Holden, death is abstract; he’s not primarily afraid of the physical facts of the end of life, because at 16 he can’t truly understand it. What Holden fears about death is the change that it brings. Holden continuously wishes for things to remain unchanged, and to be able to go back to better times—a time when Allie was alive. For Holden, Allie’s death was a shocking, unwanted change in his life, and he is terrified of more change—more death—especially when it comes to Phoebe.

The Catcher in the Rye. There’s a reason this is the title of the book. The song Holden hears contains the lyric "if a body meet a body, coming through the rye" that Holden mishears as "if a body catch a body." He later tells Phoebe that this is what he wishes to be in life, someone who "catches" the innocent if they slip and fall. The ultimate irony is that the song is about two people meeting for a sexual encounter, and Holden himself is too innocent to understand that.

The Red Hunting Hat. Holden wears a hunting cap that he frankly admits is kind of ridiculous. For Holden it is a sign of his "otherness" and his uniqueness—his isolation from others. Notably, he removes the hat whenever he is meeting someone he wants to connect with; Holden knows full well the hat is part of his protective coloring.

The Carousel. The carousel is the moment in the story when Holden lets go of his sadness and decides he will stop running and grow up. Watching Phoebe ride it, he is happy for the first time in the book, and part of his happiness is imagining Phoebe grabbing for the gold ring—a risky maneuver that could get a kid a prize. Holden’s admission that sometimes you have to let kids take risks like that is his surrender to the inevitability of becoming an adult—and leaving childhood behind.

Unreliable Narrator. Holden tells you he is "the most terrific liar you ever saw." Holden lies constantly throughout the story, making up identities and masking the fact that he’s been kicked out of school. As a result, the reader can’t necessarily trust Holden’s descriptions. Are the people he calls "phonies" really bad, or is it just how Holden wants you to see them?

Slang. The story’s slang and teenage vernacular are out of date today, but the tone and style were remarkable when it was published for the way Salinger captured the way a teenager sees and thinks about things. The result is a novel that still feels authentic and confessional despite the passage of time. Holden’s style of telling the story also underscores his character—he uses profanities and slang words very self-consciously to shock and to demonstrate his jaded and worldly ways. Salinger also employs the use of "filler phrases" in Holden’s story, which gives the narrative the feeling of being spoken, as if Holden were actually telling you this story in person.

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Catcher in The Rye Symbols

Home » Literature Explained – Literary Synopses and Book Summaries » Catcher in the Rye » Catcher in The Rye Symbols

Catcher in the Rye Symbols – Introduction

The Catcher in the Rye takes place in two major places: Pencey Prep, the exclusive boarding school in New Jersey that Holden is attending in the beginning of the novel, and New York City. The story takes place during the post-WWII era—so probably the 1940s or 1950s, although it is never specified exactly.

No matter where Holden finds himself, his setting serves to reflect his dissatisfaction with people and the world, highlighting the superficial and hypocritical nature of adults. There are a few major motifs that tie into this idea. The first motif is loneliness. No matter where Holden goes and who he interacts with, he feels dissatisfied and lonely. Another major motif is Holden’s approach to intimacy and sexuality. As he journeys through the few days between failing out of Pencey Prep and having to return home to his parents, he has several encounters with people that point out his discomfort with intimacy and his fear regarding his sexuality. The loudest and clearest motif is deception. Again, no matter where Holden goes or who he interacts with, he is met with “phonies” and sees everyone as being misleading and hypocritical.

Symbolism in Catcher in the Rye

Here’s a list of the major symbols in Catcher in the Rye .

“Catcher in the Rye”

The red hunting hat, the museum of natural history, the central park lagoon’s ducks.

The Museum of Natural History – Holden explains in the narrative that museums are important to him because they remain reliable and unchanging. He feels upset that museums stay the same, yet he is different every time he returns to one. This narrative helps readers understand how uncomfortable Holden is with change, how he wishes for a world where nothing would change, and how he works so hard to avoid unpredictability. When he realizes it can’t be avoided, he experiences a crisis

Themes and Analysis

The catcher in the rye, by jerome david salinger.

From youth to isolation and mortality, there are a myriad of themes in J.D. Salinger’s only novel, 'The Catcher in the Rye.'

Article written by Emma Baldwin

B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.

From youth to isolation and mortality, there are a myriad of themes in J.D. Salinger’s only novel, The Catcher in the Rye . These themes touch on the most important parts of the protagonist,   Holden Caulfield ’s personality and tortured mental state. It is a desire for youth, fear of aging, appreciation for death, habitual isolation, and desire for a company that bog down the young man’s mind and help make The Catcher in the Rye the much-loved novel that it is today .  

The Catcher in the Rye Themes

Throughout the novel, the reader is given examples of Holden’s preference for children over adults and youth over aging . He has a persistent fear of growing old and finds all the adults in his life to be fake and annoying. This can be seen through his interactions with the teachers and the way he shrugs off and even grows angry at their advice.

Additionally, Holden’s behavior should be read as a consistent rejection of maturity and the process of aging. He consistently gets kicked out of school and when he’s annoyed he gets angry and rejects other people. Or, most obviously, there is his desire to run away from his life, a solution that solves no problems.  

Isolation  

Holden feels as though it’s impossible for him to find someone he relates to, aside from Jane who he met years before the novel started. Everyone around him is shallow, irritating, and distasteful. This is in part due to the consistent circle of similar peers he ends up in. Despite the different schools, he’s been to, they’ve all been for the upper class, rich kids. These kids act in a particular way and take advantage of their privilege.  

Mortality  

Death is a topic that’s always on Holden’s mind. It is a consent part of his life, from when his younger brother died of leukemia before the novel began. There was also a past memory of a suicide he witnessed at one of his schools. A young boy, cornered in a room by bullies, jumped out the window rather than be attacked. Holden doesn’t fear death, at least when he sees it through the eyes of this student. He admits to respecting this boy’s choice. A reader should also consider the time period in which the novel is meant to take place, the 1950s, post-WWII. Death was something ever-present and on everyone’s mind.  

Analysis of Key Moments in The Catcher in the Rye  

• Holden is kicked out of Pencey Prep  
• He confronts Ward about his date with Jane. They later get into a fight.  
• Holden storms out of school and takes the train to Manhattan.  
• He encounters the mother of one of his school mates on the train.  
• Holden tries to find someone to have sex with and fails.  
• Eventually, Holden goes to a jazz club and sees one of his older brother’s ex-girlfriend
• The elevator operator sends a prostitute to Holden’s room, it doesn’t end well.  
• Holden imagines committing suicide
• He makes a date with Sally Hayes, they go to the movies and ice skating. Holden gets annoyed and leaves  
• After getting drunk, he annoys another acquaintance, Carl Luce.  
• He sneaks into his own house to talk to his sister, Phoebe.  
• With nowhere to sleep, he goes to Mr. Antolini’s house but leaves after feeling uncomfortable.  
• Holden decides to run away and meets phoebe for what he thinks is the last time.  
• He takes her to the zoo and pays for her to ride the carousel. He cries.  
• The novel ends with Holden narrating his present. He wishes he’d never told his story.  

Style, Literary Devices, and Tone in The Catcher in the Rye

Salinger makes use of several literary devices in The Catcher in the Rye. These include slang, narrative point of view, and symbolism. The first, slang, is a prominent feature of Salinger’s writing in this novel. As well as one of the main reasons the novel was rejected by critics when it was first published. Holden uses words like “flitty” to refer to gay men, frequently curses, and uses colloquialisms such as “pretty as hell” . These words stand in stark contrast to the “phony” adult world Holden is so opposed to.  

Salinger provides the reader with Holden’s first-person perspective in the novel. In a sarcastic and judgmental tone, he tells his own story, looking back on the past. This means, considering holden’s state of mind at the time and in the present as he’s speaking, that he’s an unreliable narrator. A reader shouldn’t trust that everything Holden says is the truth or is a fulsome depiction of events or people. There is also a stream of consciousness elements in the novel. His words and thoughts run together, one after another as if there is no pause between him thinking something and saying it.  

Symbols in The Catcher in the Rye  

Allie’s baseball glove  .

Tied intimately to the themes of youth and mortality, the baseball glove symbolizes the love he has for his younger brother and the anger he felt at his death. There is a distressing scene in the novel in which Holden’s roommate, Ward, speaks dismissively about a composition Holden wrote in regard to the glove. The glove is covered in poetry handwritten in green ink. These words are Holden’s way of making sense of the world and calming himself in times of terrible stress and anger.  

The Ducks in Central Park  

Holden repetitively asks cab drivers in New York City about the ducks in central park. They are a temporary feature of the park as they will, when the water freeze, fly away. He worries about where the animals settle when they’re not there. They symbolize his anxiety, fear of change and the passage of time. They can also be connected to Holden’s larger desire to leave his world behind. The ducks do so regularly and he can’t seem to escape at all.  

The Red Hunting Hat  

One of the many moments of bright color in the novel, the hat symbolizes the most confident parts of Holden’s personality. He wears it to feel good and he likes the way he looks in it. It is at its most important at the end of the novel when he gives it to his sister, Phoebe before she goes to ride the carousel. Holden cries at the sight of her experiencing joy and wearing his hat.  

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About Emma Baldwin

Emma Baldwin, a graduate of East Carolina University, has a deep-rooted passion for literature. She serves as a key contributor to the Book Analysis team with years of experience.

About the Book

J.D. Salinger

J.D. Salinger was a pioneer of the American short story. He is remembered today as the author of The Catcher and the Rye , as well as Fanny and Zoey , and numerous other stories about the troubled Glass family.

Salinger Facts

Explore ten of the most interesting facts about Salinger's life, habits, and passions.

Salinger's Best Books

Explore the seven best books Salinger wrote.

Was Salinger Criticized?

The criticism of J.D. Salinger’s writing is centred around his major literary achievement

Maybe there’s a trapdoor under my chair, and I’ll just disappear. J.D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye

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Chapters 24-26

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

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Discussion Questions

The song the child sings, when Holden thinks he hears the line “catch a body coming through the rye” (150), comes from the Robert Burns poem “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye” (1782). Holden imagines a field of rye with children running through it. He tells Phoebe that he would save the children from plummeting off a cliff, which represents The Desire to Preserve Childhood Innocence ; Holden idealizes the innocence of children and wishes to protect them from becoming corrupted by the world. Holden has misheard the line, which is actually “when a body meet a body coming through the rye.” Experts often interpret the poem as having sexual connotations, and Holden’s understanding of it as a symbol of innocence contrasts starkly with the poem’s actual meaning. This detail fits Holden’s disinterest in the reality of the world—he often lies to other characters in the novel, creating a reality that suits him, and he refuses to participate in anything that doesn’t interest him.

Holden’s Red Hunting Hat

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Catcher in The Rye — Overview of the Symbols in “The Catcher in the Rye”

Overview of The Symbols in "The Catcher in The Rye"

• Categories: Catcher in The Rye

About this sample

Words: 862 |

Published: Jul 2, 2018

Words: 862 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

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• Knight, R. D. (2002). Physics for scientists and engineers: a strategic approach. Addison-Wesley.
• Masters, B. R. (1997). Noninvasive diagnostic techniques in ophthalmology. Springer.
• Menzel, R. (2012). Physics of the atmosphere. Dover Publications.
• National Science Foundation. (2018). Light, part 1: Electromagnetic waves. Retrieved from https://www.nsf.gov/news/overviews/physics/interact02.jsp
• Sears, F. W., Zemansky, M. W., & Young, H. D. (1982). University physics. Addison-Wesley.
• Serway, R. A., & Jewett Jr, J. W. (2017). Physics for scientists and engineers with modern physics. Cengage Learning.
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The Catcher in the Rye

Symbols in the catcher in the rye justin caleb walters college.

Throughout J.D. Salinger’s most famous work of literature, The Catcher in the Rye, the reader is exposed to several facets of symbolism that help give substance and characterization to the protagonist of the story, young Holden Caulfield. It is through these assorted symbols that Holden transforms from an average teenager to a socially disturbed and confused individual, constantly longing for something more. Holden’s gray hair, the ducks from the lagoon in Central Park, and Holden’s deceased younger brother Allie all help characterize Salinger’s sixteen year old knight on his quest to find his true self in a world full of false facades and misleading motives.

One of the first symbols to appear in the novel is Holden’s gray hair. Holden describes himself by saying, “…I’m six foot two and a half and have gray hair. I really do. The one side of my head-the right side-is full of millions of gray hairs. I’ve had them ever since I was a kid.” (Salinger, 9). The appearance of these uncolored hairs at such an early age is a great representation of Holden’s inner struggles. For a long time, he has been caught between two seemingly conflicting worlds: the carefree world of childhood and the daunting and intimidating world of adulthood....

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Home / Essay Samples / Literature / Catcher in The Rye / Interpretation of Catcher in the Rye: Analyzing Symbolism

Interpretation of Catcher in the Rye: Analyzing Symbolism

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