Themes and Symbolism in Catcher in the Rye

There are many themes that can be taken from Catcher in the Rye. One of these themes is that growing up is difficult.  Holden has trouble coming to terms with growing up.  He hates how everything is changes and how everyone is fake.  Holden is afraid of change in Catcher in the Rye. We know this from his trip to the museum. He says that he likes to go because every time he goes there the exhibits are exactly the same in exactly the same place, but he himself is different every time he goes there and he does not like that. Another of Holden's fears is that he is afraid of adulthood. In his dream, Holden is stopping children from running off of a cliff.  Cliff is adulthood, and the rye can symbolize innocence.  Ergo, he wants to keep kids innocent from the cruelty of adult hood.  Holden also believes everyone is a fake or a "phony". This is blatantly obvious because Holden calls everyone phony, and he says he hate that they are phony throughout the entire book.  This brings us to another theme showed by this book. Adulthood is full of phonies. Everyone pretends to be something they are not when they grow up. Why? Everyone acts phony because they believe that they will be viewed poorly if they do not. The phony-ness of adulthood is shown in Catcher in the Rye through the characters. Holden is right; they are phonies.  However, Holden himself is phony occasionally too.  He can be hypocritical when he calls someone else out on some thing that he does too.  As I mentioned before, Holden is afraid of change, and there are many things in this book that symbolize change, like the museum. The museum shows that some things will always be constant, and it will be you that changes.  Another symbol for change is the ducks in the park that Holden always asks about.  Holden asking about the ducks shows that he worries when change comes and the ducks leave.  The ducks leaving shows circular changes; some things change and then change back.  Symbol in Catcher in the Rye is Holden's hat.  His red hunting cap shows his want to be an individual, but also his want for security.  The bright color is what symbolized his want for individuality, but the ear flaps and protection from the cold show that he wants to have a sense of self security.  


Salinger, J. D. Catcher in the Rye. New York, NY: Little, Brown, 1991. Print.