The Catcher In The Rye Symbolisms and Themes

Did you get it? No?

Well, if you didn't know what it was then i'll tell you. it was the circles and how the camera always past over the center circle symbolising how i really didn't understand the book until i started to look for tiny details like this last slide i put in the background. you never noticed it unless you looked really closely like the details of the catcher in the rye it had subtle hints that always pointed to a major problem or occurence in today's society.

The Catcher In The Rye Symbolisms and Themes

Protector of innocence

Holden sees himself as the person who will prevent wandering children in rye from falling off the edge of a cliff. In the book this is a theme that Holden shows through the experiences of the corrupt and evil world of adulthood. He wants kids to stay kids and for them to not ever see the horrors of the adult world and be the protector of innocence. He seems to blame himself for Allie's death which was completely out of his control.

"I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids and nobody's around -nobody big, I mean-except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some sort of crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff." (Pg.173)

"Most guys at Pencey just talked about having sexual intercourse with girls all the time – like Ackley, for instance – but old Stradlater really did it. I was personally acquainted with at least two girls he gave the time to. That's the truth." (Pg.48)

"It was a funny thing to say. It sounded like a real kid. You'd think a prostitute and all would say "Like hell you are" or "Cut the crap" instead of "Like fun you are."" (pg.94)

Relevancy of quotes

"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. The only thing that would be different would be you. Not that you'd be so much older or anything. It wouldn't be that exactly. You'd just be different, that's all."(pg.121)

The quotes I chose are relevant to the story by the way they are easily connectable to their respective themes. the themes are very common realities amongst people today such as the theme of loneliness, innocence, anger, etc. it's the relatibility between the reader and the book that allows these themes to be seen and become supported by quotes. it is also the realisticness of the book too, it is not a typical fiction book, its themes are all too real for people. they know the feeling of realizing the world isn't this nice place where everybody likes each other and nothing bad happens. in reality the world is a greedy and chaotic place where we take advantage of each other to attain our own goals and leave the others to be fed to the dogs.

By Michael Miyahara

So, what are some of the symbols and themes in this book you ask? Well, here are a few that I found interesting that will help you understand what Salinger is trying to convey to you.

IF YOU PAY ATTENTION YOU WILL SEE my SYMBOLISM I put in the prezi.

Hint: it's nothing to do with the text

Loneliness and the desire for human companionship

"I was standing way up the hell up on top thomsen hill[...] practically the whole school except me was there." (pg.2)

"Well – take me to the Edmont then," I said. "Would you care to stop on the way and join me for a cocktail? On me, I'm loaded." (Pg.60)

"The first thing I did when I got off at Penn Station, I went into this phone booth. I felt like giving somebody a buzz […] but as soon as I was inside, I couldn't think of anybody to call up. My brother D.B. was in Hollywood. My kid sister Phoebe […] was out. Then I thought of giving Jane Gallagher's mother a buzz […]. Then I thought of calling this girl […] Sally Hayes. […] I thought of calling […] Carl Luce. […] So I ended up not calling anybody. I came out of the booth, after about twenty minutes or so." (pg.59)

Holden's red hunting hat

Holden's hat is a major symbol in this book. Specifically, Holden's hat (when worn backwards) symbolizes his disapproval of the corruption and utter evil realities that is present in adult society. Also, the color of Holden's hat which is a very vibrant and nearly not unnoticeable red causes the correlation between Allie's hair and the hat.

"I told him to ask old valencia if she'd care to join me for drink. he said he would, but he probably didn't give her my message. people never give your message to anybody." (pg.149)

"I'll tell you what kind of red hair he had . I started playing golf when I was only ten years old. I remember once, the summer I was around twelve, teeing off and all, and having a hunch that if I turned around all of a sudden, I'd see Allie. So I did and sure enough, he was sitting on his bike outside the fence- there he was sitting there , about a hundred and fifty yards behind me." (Pg.38)