Defined by Merriam-Webster, symbolism is the use of symbols to express or represent ideas or qualities in literature, art, etc. By using this literary device, authors can convey complex conditions with great depth and powerful imagery. Symbols play vital roles in a great deal of brilliant novels because they can help to explain one’s inner feelings and the reasons why they do certain things. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the red hunting hat serves as the most important symbol in the novel, which portrays Holden’s constant feelings of alienation, innocence, and protection. By wearing the red hunting hat, the protagonist alienates himself from society and his fear of the phony adult world. When he first purchased the …show more content…
He is fully devoted to becoming a catcher, a protector, and when he gives his greatest possession to Phoebe, he finally becomes one. The scene of him ultimately letting go of his hunting hat represents how the protagonist finally accepts growing up, or at least acknowledges it and how he wishes to protect his sister from the horrors of adulthood. However, before bestowing his hat upon his sibling, Holden uses it for himself first. When he initially debuts it, Holden tells his closest yet still distant friend “this is a people shooting hat, I shoot people in this hat” (Salinger 30). Its purpose is to protect him from adulthood since he wears it to shoot down any potentially phony adults and those who try to influence him to grow up. In Pencey, those who he wants to shoot down constantly surround Holden, therefore he runs away, ignoring all of his social and educational problems. Taking his hat off in the train symbolizes how the teenager finally escapes his phony classmates. During this situation, he uses the red hunting hat to protect himself from his failure, school. Running away from his problems is quite childish, representing how the hat reinforces the naive side of Holden, ultimately protecting him from adulthood. However towards the end of the novel, it is shown how the red hunting hat truly serves as Holden’s greatest protection. After …show more content…
By wearing his cherished possession, the adolescent isolates himself from those who surround him, attempts to preserve innocence, and becomes protected from his fear of growing up. Holden is a young adolescent who is very complicated to understand, but the symbol helps illustrate his emotions and motives. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the red hunting hat proves to be the most valuable possession, thoroughly explaining the complex character’s entire