Catcher+Symbols

__The Catcher in the Rye__ - Even the title is a symbol. It comes from Chapter 16 when Holden is walking in the city and admires a boy sing a Robert Burn's song "Comin' Thro' The Rye." In Chapter 22, when Holden's little sister, Phoebe, asks him what he wants to do with his life, he responds with his image from the song "a catcher in the rye." Holden says he imagines himself in a field of rye perched high on a cliff, full of children playing. He says he would like to be the one to protect the children from falling off the edge of the cliff by "catching" them if they were on the verge of falling over. Phoebe, however, points out that Holden misheard the lyrics. Holden thought that the lyrics were "if a body catch a body comin' through the rye, but the actual lyrics are "if a body meet a body, coming through the rye." The song is about whether or nor it would be wrong for two people to have a romantic encounter in the fields, away from the public eye, even if they don't have plans to commit to each other. It's really ironic because it refers to that encounter leading to sex. The word "meet" refers exactly to sex, whereas Holden replaced that word with the word "catch," which takes on the completely opposite meaning. Holden wants to catch children before they fall out of innocence and into the adult world.

__Holden Hunting Hat__ - The red hunting hat is a part of what makes Holden...Holden. It is a symbol of his uniqueness and individuality. The hat is obscene and it shows how much Holden wants to be different from the pack. At the same time, however, he is very self-conscious about the hat. Holden also says that it's not a deer hunting hat-it's a people hunting hat. This shows how Holden is always judging people he doesn't know, and marking them out as phonies.

__The Museum of Natural History__ - Holden explains why the museum appeals to him. He says that the displays are frozen and unchanging. He also says that it bothers him that every time he goes to visit them, he is the one who has changed. The museum represents the world Holden wanted to belong to. A kind of fantasy where nothing every changes, his idea of a "catcher in the rye." Holden hates how unpredictable the world is and is afraid to make connections with new people.

__The Ducks in the Central Park Lagoon__ - This curiosity reveals a genuine, youth side to Holden. It show how he is still a kid at heart. In the rest of the book Holden sounds like a grumpy old man who has nothing to live for anymore, but in the one moment, he really sounds like a kid who just wants to know where the ducks go during the winter.