Essay on Red Hunting Hat - 723 Words

What does symbolism add to a book? It adds morals and depth to the novel. It makes the reader learn something interesting or lets them gain knowledge of something that can change their outlook on how they perceive things. In the novel Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, it is about a perplexed boy, Holden Caulfield. He has trouble dealing the issue of growing up. One of the major symbols in the book is Holden’s red hunting hat. Salinger uses the hat to signify Holden’s need for comfort and his adolescent problems and pressures. To begin, when reading the novel one seems to come upon Holden‘s red hunting hat many times while reading. This hunting hat demonstrates Holden’s need for safety and comfort. He was deprived of it when he†¦show more content†¦But at time his pressure seemed to be a little extreme. â€Å"My ears were nice and warm, though. That hat I bought had earlaps in it, and I put them on – I don’t give a damn how I looked. Nobody was around anyway. Everybody was in the sack† (53). This quote exemplifies how Holden tends to take his image to seriously. Yet throughout the novel Holden says that people that are obsessed with their look are phony, showing the reader that at time he is a hypocrite considering he’s obsessed with his look also. Not only does this happen once or twice but numerous times in the book. The quote tries to explain that Holden does not care what people think about him and yet if he did not he would not have announced that eve ryone was sleeping and nobody could see him. When Stradlater gets home from his date with Jane Gallagher, he and Holden get in a fight. When it is over, both Holden and Stradlater are left in physical pain. â€Å"I kept sitting there on the floor till I heard old Stradlater close the door and go down the corridor to the can, then I got up. I couldn’t find my goddam hunting hat anywhere. Finally I found it†¦ I put it on, and turned the old peak around to the back, the way I liked it† (45). The fight that Holden has with Stradlater is about Stradlater going out on a date with Holden’s friend Jane Gallagher. Holden gets upset with Stradlater for doing that because he thinksShow MoreRelatedRed Hunting Hat Analysis987 Words   |  4 Pagesthe red hunting hat comes up in moderation, the hunting hat pops up in the first chapter and stays consistent throughout the novel. The red hunting hat develops the symbol that Holden uses alienation as a form of self protecti on or Holden is hunting for his purpose in the world. Holden usually puts on the hat in a situation where he needs protection as if the hat were a safety blanket, for instance when Holden was in Penn Station and in the cab just needing someone to talk to, I took my red huntingRead MoreRed Hunting Hat Essay1145 Words   |  5 PagesWhen Holden Caulfield buys a red hunting hat he buys it for individuality and every time he mentions his special hat he searches for companionship from others. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the red hunting hat symbolizes Holden’s central conflict: the need for isolation vs the need for companionship. Holden notices and buys the red hunting hat in New York after losing the fencing equipment for the Pencey Prep team. The first person to notice the hat is a boy named Ackley, afterRead MoreEssay On Red Hunting Hat In Catcher In The Rye1071 Words   |  5 PagesSporting a plaid, red deer hunting hat, he would consistently pull the bill of the hat around to the back due to he insisted he looked better. The flaps would always stay down to cover his ears and would constantly be questioned why he was wearing a deer hunting hat when he was not hunting deer. Holden Caulfield, main character of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, regularly dons a red deer hunting hat for the majority of the novel. The Catcher in the Rye is a coming-of-age novel showing howRead More Holden’s Red Hunting Hat and it’s Symbolism Essay1457 Words   |  6 Pages Can a hat really provide a person with emotion, or for that matter, can a hat ever protect a person from their own emotions? In the book The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger the image of the main character’s red hunting hat comes up many times. Holden, the main character buys a hat while he is in New York with his school fencing team. Holden has just been kicked out of his school because for academic reasons, he decides to leave his school before the winter break starts, so he goes to NewRead MoreHolden ´s Red Hunting Hat in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger652 Words   |  3 PagesHolden’s red hunting hat is one of the main symbols in the book, The Catcher in the Rye. The hat represents individuality and uniqueness. It symbolizes the confidence, self esteem, and comfort in who someone is. Holden is only willing to express himself when he is alone, with no one around. He looks for approval. Holden does not want to be seen negatively in any way. The hat is a symbol that Holden uses to tell Phoebe that she should always stay the same. Also, to tell her that she should be confidentRead MoreIn â€Å"Catcher in the Rye† by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield’s red hunting hat a symbol. A symbol600 Words   |  3 PagesIn â€Å"Catcher in the Rye† by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield’s red hunting hat a symbol. A symbol represents and idea, belief, image or object. This hat helps us see and witness Holden’s journey from childhood to adulthood. Holden Caulfield’s red hunting hat is a symbol that represents the struggle between isolation and human contact, protection, link to innocence and growth as his story unfolds. Though it is a bumpy ride, its a ride we will all take. Though Holden seems like he hates society,Read MoreThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger Essay624 Words   |  3 Pagesrecognized symbol is Holden’s red hunting hat. It is present in many situations and has abundance amount of symbolic characteristics. The red hunting hat plays an important role to Holden and represents his individuality, safety, as well as his strive for childhood innocence. In the beginning of the story, Holden buys the red hunting hat while in New York for a fencing match and wears it throughout the book. Holden’s individuality is displayed when he wears and puts on his hat. For example, â€Å"The way IRead MoreThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger798 Words   |  3 Pagesthat Salinger uses the red hunting hat and the museum to show that dealing with the death of a loved one can be overwhelming for young people who don’t know how to cope properly. One way that J.D. Salinger explores dealing with death is through his use of Holden’s red hunting hat. When Holden first uses his hat, he states, â€Å"I took off my coat and my tie and unbuttoned my shirt collar, and then I put on this hat I’d bought in New York that morning. It was this red hunting hat, with one of those veryRead MoreSymbols in The Catcher in the Rye967 Words   |  4 Pagesrye. But sooner or later Holden will realize that eventually children grow up. In The Catcher in the Rye three symbols that have significant meanings and contributions to the story as a whole are Holden erasing profanity, the museum, and the red hunting hat. The first symbol is Holden erasing profanity off the school wall. This act symbolizes his realization that he can’t protect children forever. Holden sees â€Å"f- you† written on the walls of Phoebe’s school and thinks about â€Å"†¦ how Phoebe andRead MoreTheme Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye951 Words   |  4 Pagesas his red hunting hat, the swear words on the walls, and Holden dropping the Little Shirley Beans record on the ground. Holden Caulfield’s red hunting hat is mentioned throughout the novel, like a motif, but it does not just display that Holden is feeling cold when he wears his hat. In chapter 3 of the novel, is when he first mentions his hunting hat. Since Holden is mostly pessimistic about things, the only things he did like was his siblings, Allie and Phoebe, and his red hunting hat, which he