The Catcher in the Rye //Free Response

Symbol

In many novels there is symbolism. A symbol is related to imagery where something or an object in the story is itself, but really stands for something more. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield talks about his red hunting hat all throughout the story. When I first read about his hat, I instantly tried picturing it in my head. Although Holden never describes the hat as being anymore than just a hat but as the story continued I felt as if there was a deeper meaning to it. So, I went back through and read some of the parts where he talks about it. One sentence that stuck out to me in particular was:

("I took my red hunting hat out of my pocket and put it on – I didn't give a damn how I looked") (88)

When I reread this sentence I knew that the hat symbolized Holden's personality. His personality of being unique and not conforming to what others have. The hat symbolizes his individuality as a person. It also symbolizes Holden still just wanting to stay young where he didn't have a care in the world.