Catcher in the Rye Theme Essay Example

Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, the reader is presented with various symbols. These symbols are made evident by Holden’s constant repetition of their importance through his saying and experiences. Some important symbols that J.D. Salinger presents in his novel The Catcher in the Rye are his younger brother Allie’s baseball glove, the duck pond in central park, and the Museum of Natural History. These symbols are a large part in the novel. The symbols are important because the symbolism is directed related to the major themes of the novel. The first major symbol is Holden’s younger brother’s baseball glove. His brother’s glove was very important to Holden, especially since Holden cared for his little brother so much. In addition, the baseball glove is important because it symbolizes Holden’s little brother Allie and how much he cared for him. For instance, Holden remembers the incidents from his past involving Allie, like his attitude, and the time when he wrote the composition about Allie's baseball glove. Holden also remembers the time he broke his hand after punching all of the windows after Allie died he said, "I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it". In addition, Holden finds his younger brother to be one of the few people who were not phony in a world of phonies. The glove was also important because the glove represented the innocence and childhood that Holden constantly strived to find throughout his journey. To Holden Allie is the purity that Holden is looking because he never grew up and lost his innocence. Holden even admits that he admired Allie more the Jesus and at one point he prayed to Allie. When Allie died, it started turbulence in Holden’s life and the baseball glove is one of the few things that gave him peace of mind.

The second major symbol in the novel is the duck pond in Central Park. The duck pond is significant because during the winter when