Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors
used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
The “Catcher in the Rye”
As the source of the book’s title, this symbol
merits close inspection. It first appears in Chapter 16,
when a kid Holden admires for walking in the street rather than
on the sidewalk is singing the Robert Burns song “Comin’ Thro’ the
Rye.” In Chapter 22, when Phoebe asks Holden what
he wants to do with his life, he replies with his image, from the song,
of a “catcher in the rye.” Holden imagines a field of rye perched high
on a cliff, full of children romping and playing. He says he would like
to protect the children from falling off the edge of the cliff by “catching”
them if they were on the verge of tumbling over. As Phoebe points
out, Holden has misheard the lyric. He thinks the line is “If a body
catch a body comin’ through the rye,” but the actual lyric is “If
a body meet a body, coming through the rye.”
The song “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye” asks if it is
wrong for two people to have a romantic encounter out in the fields,
away from the public eye, even if they don’t plan to have a commitment
to one another. It is highly ironic that the word “meet” refers
to an encounter that leads to recreational sex, because the word
that Holden substitutes—“catch”—takes on the exact opposite meaning
in his mind. Holden wants to catch children before they fall out
of innocence into knowledge of the adult world, including knowledge
of sex.
Holden’s Red Hunting Hat
The red hunting hat is one of the most recognizable symbols
from twentieth-century American literature. It is inseparable from
our image of Holden, with good reason: 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 hat—he always mentions when he is
wearing it, and he often doesn’t 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: Holden’s need for isolation versus his
need for companionship.
It is worth noting that the hat’s color, red,
is the same as that of Allie’s and Phoebe’s 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. He never explicitly
comments on the hat’s significance other than to mention its unusual
appearance.
The Museum of Natural History
Holden tells us the symbolic meaning of the museum’s
displays: they appeal to him because they are frozen and unchanging.
He also mentions that he is troubled by the fact that he has changed
every time he returns to them. The museum represents the world Holden
wishes he could live in: it’s the world of his “catcher in the rye”
fantasy, a world where nothing ever changes, where everything is
simple, understandable, and infinite. Holden is terrified by the
unpredictable challenges of the world—he hates conflict, he is confused
by Allie’s senseless death, and he fears interaction with other
people.
The Ducks in the Central Park Lagoon
Holden’s curiosity about where the ducks go during the
winter reveals a genuine, more youthful side to his character. For
most of the book, he sounds like a grumpy old man who is angry at
the world, but his search for the ducks represents the curiosity
of youth and a joyful willingness to encounter the mysteries of
the world. It is a memorable moment, because Holden clearly lacks
such willingness in other aspects of his life.
