Holden's Suitcase

Red hunting hat

The ENd

Throughout the book, Holden did not mention the significance of the red hunting hat. However, he let us know when he has the hat on or off. The color red remind him of Phoebe and Allie because their hairs’ color are both red. Holden also know the hat is not stylish nor pretty, but it demonstrate uniqueness and individuality. This show Holden’s desires of being different from everyone else.

A photo of Museum of Natural History

Growing up, Holden would go to Museum of Natural History every Sunday with his class in school. Phoebe went to the same school as Holden and went through the exact same thing. The museum made Holden happy because the museum never change. “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move. You could go there a hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south, the deers would still be drinking out of that water hole […]. Nobody'd be different.” (65). Holden wished people are like museum. Never change and stay innocent.

Allie’s glove

Allie's glove is always with Holden. Holden had a strong bond with his brother and he shows absolute respect and admired his brother very much. “You'd have liked him. He was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times as intelligent. He was terrifically intelligent.”(21). The glove also gave Holden strength as he faces troubles in school and life. It reminded him how Allie would have made smart decisions. This keep him strong, wise, and make good decisions.

The suitcase significance to Holden.

Phone book

Holden’s suitcase is not fancy, but just bourgeois. He thinks people judge other base on their belonging such as suitcase. “...it's really hard to be roommates with people if your suitcases are much better than theirs - if yours are really good ones and theirs aren't. You think if they're intelligent and all, the other person, and have a good sense of humor, that they don't give a damn whose suitcases are better, but they do. They really do”. (59). Holden recalls his roommate, Dick Slagle, who had a bad case, wants everyone to think that Holden’s suitcase is his.

Phoebe’s notebook

Homeless and lack of warmth, Holden is forced to call up his friends and teachers to not feel so lonesome. A phone book keep all of his friend. The phone book symbolized as a social tool for Holden to connect to his friends and teachers.

Phoebe’s notebook reminded him of innocent and little kid. Phoebe’s notebook is full of random and childish questions because Phoebe did not exposed to the world yet and Holden want to keep it away from Phoebe. “That killed me. Her middle name is Josephine, for God's sake, not Weatherfield. She doesn't like it, though. Every time I see her she's got a new middle name for herself.” (86). This made Holden happy because of the innocent, but sad because Phoebe will soon meets the world and enters adulthood.

A family photo

Broken record

(Little Shirley Beans record)

Holden bought the record for Phoebe. The record is intended for children and Holden wants the record to maintenance Phoebe’s innocent. However, Holden drops the record in the park when he was looking for the ducks. The record shatters and so is the innocence. Holden quickly picks up pieces of the record and save them because he wants the innocence and brings that to Phoebe.

The world depressed Holden. Holden is lonesome and depressed. A family photo reminded him of his mother, Phoebe, Allie, and D.B.. It reminded him of the good time he had with siblings and the innocents that they had. This gave him energy to move on in life. He knew even if the world is full of phonies, he can at least look upon to Phoebe.

Holden's Suitcase