Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Can someone please help me correct my essay! its worth 40% of my grade!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

Catcher in the Rye Essay



The novel The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, has several symbols that have to do with the antihero; Holden Caulfield. The red hunting hat shows Holden’s desire to be different from everyone around him, even though he is self-conscious about it. Holden’s red hunting hat is a symbol of his uniqueness and individuality. Holden’s curiosity about where the ducks in Central Park go reveals a genuine, more youthful side of his character. The ducks vanish every winter, but they return every spring, symbolizing that change is not permanent, but cyclical. Holden is terrified by the unpredictable challenges of the world. The Museum of Natural History symbolizes Holden’s desire to be in a world where nothing ever changes, emphasized by the fact that he is somewhat different every time he goes to the museum. The hat, the ducks, and the museum are all symbols of both innocence and Holden’s childhood, which he cannot break out of. Salinger uses the red hunting hat, the ducks in the pond and the museum as key symbols in this novel.



Holden’s red hunting hat is a symbol of his uniqueness and individuality. For example, after he leaves the museum he puts on his hat and says, “I know I wouldn’t meet anybody that knew me” (122). Holden is very self-conscious about the hat though, therefore he does not wear it around people he knows. He admits it is corny, but he personally likes how it looks because when he is wearing it, he can be as tough, and as unique as he wants. In addition, before Holden leaves, he takes out the hunting hat and gives it to Phoebe. Phoebe putting the hat on his head at the end of the novel shows that she loves him as the individual that he is. When Holden does this he realizes he needs to let go of his childhood and start to grow up, which is why he gives the hat to Phoebe so she stays a child. Despite his embarrassment, the hunting hat becomes an important part of the way Holden sees himself.



Holden’s curiosity about where the ducks go reveals a curious, and youthful side of his character. For example, he asks the taxi driver, “Do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over?” (60). This shows that he still acts childish and is not grown up. Just like the ducks leave their comfortable place because of an unpleasant change, the adulthood is making Holden leave his comfortable place. In addition, Holden searches for the ducks in the Central Park lagoon; he thinks “they might be sleeping or something near the edge of the water, near the grass and all” (154), if there were any around. The ducks vanish every winter, but they return every spring, symbolizing that change is not permanent, but cyclical. The pond is in transition between two states “partly frozen and partly not frozen” just like Holden’s transition between childhood and adulthood. Holden’s search for the ducks represents his eagerness to encounter the mysteries of the world.



The Museum of Natural History symbolizes the world Holden would like to live in, where nothing ever changes. For example, he says, “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything stayed right where it was” (121). The museum appeals to him because everything is frozen and unchanging. It is the world of his “catcher in the rye” fantasy, where nothing changes, where everything is simple, infinite, and understandable. In addition, everything in the museum stays the same, “the only thing different would be you”(121). Holden is troubled with the fact that he has somehow changed every time he goes. Holden would always visit the museum as a child with Phoebe, but even she would be different when she went. The Museum of Natural History is Holden’s perfect world because it represents such stability and security.



It becomes obvious that Salinger uses the red hunting hat, the ducks in the pond, and the Museum of Natural History as key symbols in this novel. Without a doubt it is Holden’s way for him to stand out from everyone around him. Holden’s red hunting hat is a symbol of his uniqueness and individuality. Obviously there are things that bring out the child inside him. Holden’s curiosity about where the ducks go reveals a youthful side of his character. Clearly Holden is afraid of change, and unpredictable challenges. The Museum of Natural History symbolizes the world Holden would like to live in. The hat, the ducks, and the museum allows one to see a deeper side of Holden. Salinger’s symbols in the novel gives the book a deeper meaning to it.Can someone please help me correct my essay! its worth 40% of my grade!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?
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