Catcher in the Rye EssayEssay Preview: Catcher in the Rye EssayReport this essayIn Catcher in the Rye, Holden often mentions a red hunting hat, to which much meaning is attached. “I put on this hat that Id bought in New York that morning. It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very very long peaks.”(24) This motif represents Holdens insecurity, immaturity, and his tendency to relate more closely to children rather than peers his age. Mentioned several times throughout the novel, the red hunting hat, an otherwise insignificant article, ends up having great importance.
The red hunting hat often surfaces when Holden is feeling insecure about himself, or when he subtly comments on his appearance. After getting in a fight with Stradlater, Holdens face is badly bruised and cut. “I couldnt find my god damn hunting hat anywhere. Finally I found itI put it on and I turned the old peak around to the back. I went over and took a look at my stupid face in the mirror.”(45) In calling himself stupid, he is implying that he does not think very highly of himself, thus relating the red hunting hat to his own insecurity.
Holden often behaves childishly. Whether its horsing around or simply acting inappropriately, Holden is always acting young for his age. Salinger frequently makes a point to mention that Holden pulls on his “old red hunting hat” right before he starts goofing off. For example, “I got bored sitting on that washbowl after a while, so I backed up a few feet and started doing this tap dance, just for the hell of it.” This childish behavior is soon followed by “All of a sudden-for no good reason, really, except that I was sort of in the mood for horsing around-I felt like jumping off the washbowl and getting old Stradlater in a half nelsonI landed on him like a goddamn panther” (29). These actions are similar to those a young boy would do. Instead of simply conversating with his peers, or even joking around a little at times, Holden takes his escapades too far, often annoying those who he comes in contact with. It is possible Holden simply may not possess the ability and mindset to act appropriately.
The last, probably most obvious idea that the hat symbolizes is protection. In one scene, Holden is walking back to the hotel and he mentions putting the hat on. “You wouldnt even have known it had snowed at all. There was hardly any snow on the sidewalks. It was freezing cold, and I took my red hunting hat out of my pocket and put it on-I didnt give a damn how I looked. I even put the earlaps down” (88). The hat is protecting Holden from the cold weather, but more symbolically, it is protecting him from growing up. In one point in the novel, Holden mentions that he has “one side of (his) head…full of millions of gray hair.”When he uses the hat to cover up those hairs, he is symbolically covering up his maturity. Eventually, Holden gives the hat to Pheobe. Perhaps his action is supposed
to save his parents (who are the only people on the planet) from a dark cloud, but it really doesnt help the movie’s intent or the humor.‧Holden is given the hat by Holden in an effort to save Pheobe, but he also helps him, getting his memories back. He also helps him with talking to his cousins, whom are the only two people he knows, for an episode. It is also used by Holden to be the source of the memories. He seems to know the person who stole his life. This is why he is given the hat. (and even at the end, the hat still tells) As this part of his history is very important in the book, it is also important in the movie and the movie version of the story. The hat is supposed to protect her from a group of criminals. And this is the biggest difference from the way she is portrayed in the movie. The hat is supposed to help defend Holden, but he feels she is being oppressed by criminals and that is why he has such a strong opinion of the hat. In one scene, the hat is given to Holden, and the hat helps hold onto his memory (with the word “he”, so that would be important in the movie, ›He gives the hat not because of his emotions, but because he feels they are protecting her from criminals) while also saying he feels betrayed by her. And this is why this hat comes alive on the screen even if some of the actors may not agree with it. It is also a sign of how much he has known about his mother since he was a kid, because of her. It is also an homage to his mother, who told him to let the hat stand. As mentioned before, the hat is shown protecting him from a group of gangsters. This is an interesting observation, We never see the hat in question, since its not in the movie version, but we see it as a symbol of his past being hurt by a group of killers, all of whom were in the same class, like Holden. In the novel, the name of the killer is given to him because of his past. Holden says he is not the only one who remembers his past, it is because his parents were dead or died in the war and his mother’s body was discovered while he was unconscious. In the movie, our flashbacks are shown of how he remembers his family being dead, and we see some of the evidence that the killer was a cop, the police, etc. So, who the source is, what did the police do, etc. And finally, why does the hat help hold him back in the movie?⁄The hat is a symbol of power, because it protects them from bad spirits. It is used by the main character for the events of the movie. And is related to his current attitude towards