What Does Holden's Hat Symbolize
©Journal 1:
“Just the Way I Liked It”
Throughout the story the red hunting hat is very significant to Holden and the way he acts. In the beginning when Holden is at boarding school, you first hear about Holden’s hat. It is introduced when Holden walks into his room and tells his roommate that he got it at a dollar store in New York. The reason Holden got that hat was because of its color, which was red. The color is significant to why Holden bought it because it was the color of his little sister’s hair, Phoebe, and his little brothers hair, Allie, who died. Holden wears his hats different ways. He often has his hat on backwards when he upset or mad. This hat becomes very important to how Holden sees himself. When ever he has his hat on he …show more content…
feels tough, just like Allie and Phoebe are in the novel. When he does not have his hat on, he feels the pressure of growing up, and taking responsibility. Even though Holden thinks that his hat looks dumb, it makes him feel comfort in his life. When he wears the red hunting he feels like he is with Allie again. Holden states that he only wears the hat when he is around people he does know, never around the people he doesn't know. Towards the end of the book when Phoebe puts on Holden's hat, she is showing Holden that she is accepting and showing that she loves him and will love him no matter what he does.
Journal 2:
“It Just About Killed Me”
J.D Salinger’s intention for Holden's voice was to make it unique from other authors style of speech. He succeeded at his intention because Holden does not speak grammatically correct. It makes sense that he doesn't speak correctly because he is flunking out of Pencey (his boarding school). While reading the novel I have noticed that Holden's voice is very different because he is always disgusted, and his tone of voice is always angry. He often uses words to describe people like “phony”, “liar”, and “stupid”. As he thinks these things about other people, they also relate to him, because he is a liar and is not so smart. I have realized that Holden's voice and tone is hard to capture when reading different situations he is caught in. I think that Holden would say something like this; “if you want to know what I think, I hate those phony guys who always care about how they look. They say they do not care, but they do. It’s so stupid. They always have their stupid hair slick back. Usually a lousy slob slicks their hair back, no one thinks they look good. They always are trying to look for lousy complements. Their all such phonies, I hate them. They also think they are better than me. But they are not, always lying to themselves about the girls that like them. I mean who would like those phonies. They don't only act like phonies but they look like phonies too. I do not know what any girl would see in them. They are just greasy, phonies. Whenever I see them they act like they do not see me. How stupid is that. I kinda understand because they are so tall and big but I mean I am tall to they are just stupid liars that always tick me off. ”
Journal 3:
“Jane’s Kings”
Everyone that Holden meets he finds something he does not like about them and criticizes them. He never sticks by them, but the people that he calls names are usually the people he cares about. Jane, Holden's childhood friend, is someone that he trusts and likes a lot. Since Holden is a very unique person that is always holding his feelings and thoughts in, he needed to find someone that he could talk to and Jane was that person. When Jane and Holden were younger they always hung out and played checkers. They grew a relationship very strong until Holden went to boarding school. When Stradlater was with Jane at his school, Holden refused to get so hello to her. Holden was scared and very worried to go say hi to Jane because she was the only girl that he has ever had real feelings for. Ever since that night when Stradlater took her out Jane has been on Holden's mind. He always says he likes her because of her caring and kind personality. In the novel Holden mentions how much he loves that when playing checkers, Jane keeps all of her kings in the back row. Holden feels that by her doing this Jane shows that she is similar to Holden in some ways. Keeping the kings in the back row is a metaphor for being frightened to grow up and taking responsibility. Being a “king” could metaphorically mean to grow up and take responsibility, and keeping her kings in the back row can be a sign that she is trying not to grow up that fast.
Journal 4:
“A.K.A”
Throughout the book Holden develops aliases and pretends to be other people. He does this because he does not want to accept his life, and his brother dying. An example of Holden pretending to be someone else is when he talks with a mother of a Pencey student on the train. He lies to her and tells her his name is Rudolf Schmidt, who is the Pency school janitor. He does not just lie about that but he also lies to her about her son and how he was elected for class president. He enjoyed how he had power over her exclaiming that he had her glued to her seat. The lies he told her were very flattering towards her son, but none of them were true. In the end, when she finds out that they are not true she will end up getting disappointed. Holden got her hopes up and he liked how he could control her emotions. He enjoyed have power over her because he did not have that much control over his own emotions. Later towards the end of the conversation she asks why Holden is not at school. Holden lies and says that he has a brain tumor that he has to get removed. I think that he says this because he does not want to accept his reality. He does not want to except that he has to go home and see how disappointed his parents are that he got kicked out of Pencey.
Journal 5:
“Would You Like To Use Your Life Line?”
When Holden gets kicked out of the Pencey boarding school, he does not want to go home to face his parents disappointing faces. When he gets a hotel room in the city he debates calling Jane, who he has known for most of his life. He secretly always wants to but he ends up saying “I’m not really in the mood”. My opinion on this is that Holden is afraid to call Jane because of what she might say to him. Holden has always had feelings for Jane but has never had the courage to express them. Because of his hard time expressing his feelings, he decides to call other people and talk to them to comfort him. For me, when I need help, or I am upset I would talk to my dad or my mom. I would call my dad because I know that he will do everything in their power to help me. He would immediately go into action and start out figure out how to help me. I would call my Mom because I know no matter what, she will always love me, and she just wants the best for me. I would also call my Mom because she would not yell at me at first, because she knows that yelling will make me more nervous or upset, so instead she would immediately and calmly ask if I was ok. I also trust my Mom a lot so when she tells me her judgement, and opinion I trust it a lot, and try to do what she says.
Journal 6:
“Suitcases”
In the novel there is a part where Holden talks about how he hates people with cheap suitcases, which bothered him. When Holden talks about the suitcases he is speaking figuratively. He is explains how people judge each other because of the type of suitcase they have own. In the novel, he says, “... it’s really hard to be roommates with people if your suitcases are much better than theirs - if yours are really good and theirs aren't. You think if they are intelligent and all, the other person, and have a good sense of humor, that they don't give a damn who's suitcases are better, but they do. They really do” (p181). When Holden says this he is explaining that having a nice suitcase shows that you are part of a high social class. Another example is when Holden went to Elkton hills and he roomed with a kid who had a very cheap suitcase. The kid always kept them under his bed so no one could see them. When Holden saw, he felt very sorry for the kid so he decided to do the same and put the suitcase under his bed. Although Holden is not growing up fast he still notices things in the world that others wouldn’t have noticed.
Journal 7:
“The Museum”
In the novel, Holden talks about his love for the museum and his Saturday visits. The museum is the one place Holden feels comfort and happiness. Throughout the book, it is evident that Holden does not like change. This is one of the reasons why he loves the museum so much. Everything in the museum stays the same, no matter what happens. This is Holden's happy place. I feel most comfortable when I am in Montauk because I am surrounded by my family and love. When at our house in Montauk we mostly go in the lake and the pool. My favorite thing thing to do on the lake is ro paddle board. My cousins and I try to gather up the whole family and we all have a race to the other side of the lake. At dinner time we all have our own task and when we put it together it is a big meal. I look forward to going to Montauk every summer because I do not see my cousins very often and this is when i see then and bond with them. This makes me very happy because we are all round playing games inside and outside.
Journal 8:
“Allie”
Allie is Holden’s little brother that died of leukemia.
Ever since his brother’s death, Holden has been reluctant to grow up, refusing to let go of his childhood and the closeness he shared with his brother. Holden describes Allie as smart, caring, fun and outgoing. Holden describes Allie’s red hair to be as red as the red hunting hat. He loved Holden very much, and Holden loved Allie deeply.. When Allie died Holden smashed all the windows in the garages with his fists leaving cuts and blood all over his fists. Throughout the book Holden always seemed to be blaming himself. Allie is very important to this novel because he is the reason Holden has not grown up, and is flunking out of his school. The effect that Allie's death had on Holden was extraordinary. He acts like a child throughout the book because he believes that if he grows up the memories will start to disappear. He thinks that when he grows up the fact that Allie died will become more real, and that he would have to accept his death. Allie also helped Holden throughout the book by giving him strength. I think Holden admires Allie for being smarter and nicer than he is. He puts his hat on whenever he feels insecure. Maybe he feels more connected to him when he wears it, like a security
blanket.
“Just the Way I Liked It”
Throughout the story the red hunting hat is very significant to Holden and the way he acts. In the beginning when Holden is at boarding school, you first hear about Holden’s hat. It is introduced when Holden walks into his room and tells his roommate that he got it at a dollar store in New York. The reason Holden got that hat was because of its color, which was red. The color is significant to why Holden bought it because it was the color of his little sister’s hair, Phoebe, and his little brothers hair, Allie, who died. Holden wears his hats different ways. He often has his hat on backwards when he upset or mad. This hat becomes very important to how Holden sees himself. When ever he has his hat on he …show more content…
feels tough, just like Allie and Phoebe are in the novel. When he does not have his hat on, he feels the pressure of growing up, and taking responsibility. Even though Holden thinks that his hat looks dumb, it makes him feel comfort in his life. When he wears the red hunting he feels like he is with Allie again. Holden states that he only wears the hat when he is around people he does know, never around the people he doesn't know. Towards the end of the book when Phoebe puts on Holden's hat, she is showing Holden that she is accepting and showing that she loves him and will love him no matter what he does.
Journal 2:
“It Just About Killed Me”
J.D Salinger’s intention for Holden's voice was to make it unique from other authors style of speech. He succeeded at his intention because Holden does not speak grammatically correct. It makes sense that he doesn't speak correctly because he is flunking out of Pencey (his boarding school). While reading the novel I have noticed that Holden's voice is very different because he is always disgusted, and his tone of voice is always angry. He often uses words to describe people like “phony”, “liar”, and “stupid”. As he thinks these things about other people, they also relate to him, because he is a liar and is not so smart. I have realized that Holden's voice and tone is hard to capture when reading different situations he is caught in. I think that Holden would say something like this; “if you want to know what I think, I hate those phony guys who always care about how they look. They say they do not care, but they do. It’s so stupid. They always have their stupid hair slick back. Usually a lousy slob slicks their hair back, no one thinks they look good. They always are trying to look for lousy complements. Their all such phonies, I hate them. They also think they are better than me. But they are not, always lying to themselves about the girls that like them. I mean who would like those phonies. They don't only act like phonies but they look like phonies too. I do not know what any girl would see in them. They are just greasy, phonies. Whenever I see them they act like they do not see me. How stupid is that. I kinda understand because they are so tall and big but I mean I am tall to they are just stupid liars that always tick me off. ”
Journal 3:
“Jane’s Kings”
Everyone that Holden meets he finds something he does not like about them and criticizes them. He never sticks by them, but the people that he calls names are usually the people he cares about. Jane, Holden's childhood friend, is someone that he trusts and likes a lot. Since Holden is a very unique person that is always holding his feelings and thoughts in, he needed to find someone that he could talk to and Jane was that person. When Jane and Holden were younger they always hung out and played checkers. They grew a relationship very strong until Holden went to boarding school. When Stradlater was with Jane at his school, Holden refused to get so hello to her. Holden was scared and very worried to go say hi to Jane because she was the only girl that he has ever had real feelings for. Ever since that night when Stradlater took her out Jane has been on Holden's mind. He always says he likes her because of her caring and kind personality. In the novel Holden mentions how much he loves that when playing checkers, Jane keeps all of her kings in the back row. Holden feels that by her doing this Jane shows that she is similar to Holden in some ways. Keeping the kings in the back row is a metaphor for being frightened to grow up and taking responsibility. Being a “king” could metaphorically mean to grow up and take responsibility, and keeping her kings in the back row can be a sign that she is trying not to grow up that fast.
Journal 4:
“A.K.A”
Throughout the book Holden develops aliases and pretends to be other people. He does this because he does not want to accept his life, and his brother dying. An example of Holden pretending to be someone else is when he talks with a mother of a Pencey student on the train. He lies to her and tells her his name is Rudolf Schmidt, who is the Pency school janitor. He does not just lie about that but he also lies to her about her son and how he was elected for class president. He enjoyed how he had power over her exclaiming that he had her glued to her seat. The lies he told her were very flattering towards her son, but none of them were true. In the end, when she finds out that they are not true she will end up getting disappointed. Holden got her hopes up and he liked how he could control her emotions. He enjoyed have power over her because he did not have that much control over his own emotions. Later towards the end of the conversation she asks why Holden is not at school. Holden lies and says that he has a brain tumor that he has to get removed. I think that he says this because he does not want to accept his reality. He does not want to except that he has to go home and see how disappointed his parents are that he got kicked out of Pencey.
Journal 5:
“Would You Like To Use Your Life Line?”
When Holden gets kicked out of the Pencey boarding school, he does not want to go home to face his parents disappointing faces. When he gets a hotel room in the city he debates calling Jane, who he has known for most of his life. He secretly always wants to but he ends up saying “I’m not really in the mood”. My opinion on this is that Holden is afraid to call Jane because of what she might say to him. Holden has always had feelings for Jane but has never had the courage to express them. Because of his hard time expressing his feelings, he decides to call other people and talk to them to comfort him. For me, when I need help, or I am upset I would talk to my dad or my mom. I would call my dad because I know that he will do everything in their power to help me. He would immediately go into action and start out figure out how to help me. I would call my Mom because I know no matter what, she will always love me, and she just wants the best for me. I would also call my Mom because she would not yell at me at first, because she knows that yelling will make me more nervous or upset, so instead she would immediately and calmly ask if I was ok. I also trust my Mom a lot so when she tells me her judgement, and opinion I trust it a lot, and try to do what she says.
Journal 6:
“Suitcases”
In the novel there is a part where Holden talks about how he hates people with cheap suitcases, which bothered him. When Holden talks about the suitcases he is speaking figuratively. He is explains how people judge each other because of the type of suitcase they have own. In the novel, he says, “... it’s really hard to be roommates with people if your suitcases are much better than theirs - if yours are really good and theirs aren't. You think if they are intelligent and all, the other person, and have a good sense of humor, that they don't give a damn who's suitcases are better, but they do. They really do” (p181). When Holden says this he is explaining that having a nice suitcase shows that you are part of a high social class. Another example is when Holden went to Elkton hills and he roomed with a kid who had a very cheap suitcase. The kid always kept them under his bed so no one could see them. When Holden saw, he felt very sorry for the kid so he decided to do the same and put the suitcase under his bed. Although Holden is not growing up fast he still notices things in the world that others wouldn’t have noticed.
Journal 7:
“The Museum”
In the novel, Holden talks about his love for the museum and his Saturday visits. The museum is the one place Holden feels comfort and happiness. Throughout the book, it is evident that Holden does not like change. This is one of the reasons why he loves the museum so much. Everything in the museum stays the same, no matter what happens. This is Holden's happy place. I feel most comfortable when I am in Montauk because I am surrounded by my family and love. When at our house in Montauk we mostly go in the lake and the pool. My favorite thing thing to do on the lake is ro paddle board. My cousins and I try to gather up the whole family and we all have a race to the other side of the lake. At dinner time we all have our own task and when we put it together it is a big meal. I look forward to going to Montauk every summer because I do not see my cousins very often and this is when i see then and bond with them. This makes me very happy because we are all round playing games inside and outside.
Journal 8:
“Allie”
Allie is Holden’s little brother that died of leukemia.
Ever since his brother’s death, Holden has been reluctant to grow up, refusing to let go of his childhood and the closeness he shared with his brother. Holden describes Allie as smart, caring, fun and outgoing. Holden describes Allie’s red hair to be as red as the red hunting hat. He loved Holden very much, and Holden loved Allie deeply.. When Allie died Holden smashed all the windows in the garages with his fists leaving cuts and blood all over his fists. Throughout the book Holden always seemed to be blaming himself. Allie is very important to this novel because he is the reason Holden has not grown up, and is flunking out of his school. The effect that Allie's death had on Holden was extraordinary. He acts like a child throughout the book because he believes that if he grows up the memories will start to disappear. He thinks that when he grows up the fact that Allie died will become more real, and that he would have to accept his death. Allie also helped Holden throughout the book by giving him strength. I think Holden admires Allie for being smarter and nicer than he is. He puts his hat on whenever he feels insecure. Maybe he feels more connected to him when he wears it, like a security
blanket.