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Themes, Motifs & Symbols Name _________________________
Catcher in the Rye
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
Alienation as a Form of Self-Protection
Holden’s alienation is his way of protecting himself Uses his isolation as proof that he is better than everyone else around him and therefore above interacting with them Alienation is both the source of Holden’s strength and the source of his problems
The Painfulness of Growing Up
The Catcher in the Rye is a bildungsroman, a novel about a young character’s growth into maturity Holden Caulfield is an unusual protagonist for a bildungsroman because his central goal is to resist the process of maturity itself Holden imagines childhood as an idyllic field of rye in which children romp and play; adulthood, for the children of this world, is equivalent to death—a fatal fall over the edge of a cliff
The Phoniness of the Adult World
“Phoniness,” which is probably the most famous phrase from The Catcher in the Rye, is one of Holden’s favorite concepts Describes the superficiality, hypocrisy, pretension, and shallowness that he encounters in the world around him However, the world is not as simple as he’d like—and needs—it to be; even he cannot adhere to the same black- and-white standards with which he judges other people
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s
major themes.
Loneliness
Holden’s loneliness, a more concrete manifestation of his alienation problem Because Holden depends on his isolation to preserve his detachment from the world and to maintain a level of self-protection, he often sabotages his own attempts to end his loneliness
Relationships, Intimacy, and Sexuality
Relationships, intimacy, and sexuality are also recurring motifs relating to the larger theme of alienation They represent what he fears most about the adult world: complexity, unpredictability, and potential for conflict and change He wraps himself in a psychological armor of critical cynicism and bitterness
Lying and Deception
Lying and deception are the most obvious and hurtful elements of the larger category of phoniness He seems to reserve the most scorn for people who think that they are something they are not Ironically, through his lying and deception, Holden proves that he is just as guilty of phoniness as the people he criticizes
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
Imagery occurs when an author uses an object that is not really there, in order to create a comparison between one that is; a set of mental images or pictures.
Allegory a poem, play, picture, etc, in which the apparent meaning of the characters and events is used to symbolize a deeper moral or spiritual meaning.
The “Catcher in the Rye”
The song “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye” asks if it is wrong for two people to have a romantic encounter out in the fields, away from the public eye, even if they don’t plan to have a commitment to one another. It is highly ironic that the word “meet” refers to an encounter that leads to recreational sex, because the word that Holden substitutes—“catch”—takes on the exact opposite meaning in his mind. Holden wants to catch children before they fall out of innocence into knowledge of the adult world, including knowledge of sex.
Holden’s Red Hunting Hat
It is a symbol of his uniqueness and individuality The hat is outlandish and different – doesn’t wear it around everyone He is self conscious about it too – mirrors his need for isolation versus companionship Red like Allie and Phoebe’s hair
The Museum of Natural History
The museum’s displays appeal to him because they are frozen and unchanging a world where nothing ever changes, where everything is simple, understandable, and infinite he hates conflict, he is confused by Allie’s senseless death, and he fears interaction with other people
The Ducks in the Central Park Lagoon
Holden’s curiosity about where the ducks go during the winter reveals a genuine, more youthful side to his character Duck’s mysterious perseverance in the face of an inhospitable environment The ducks prove that some vanishings are only temporary Pond - is “partly frozen and partly not frozen.” The pond is in transition between two states, just as Holden is in transition between childhood and adulthood.
The Mummies
Holden draws a distinction between death and disappearing, and that's why he's so into the mummies Or the mummies but are more about lifeless shells – bodies without spirit, frozen physical forms, much like the fish, stuck in the frozen lake and absorbing nutrients through their pores. Maybe this is even how Holden sees himself.
Phoebe, the Carousel, and the Gold Ring
Holden declares himself to be really happy
- Holden decided that, after all, he's not going to run away,
- Phoebe put his hunting hat back on his head, which we've already talked about as being caring and kind
- just maybe, Holden has realizes that growing up isn't the worst thing in the world
The gold ring is something we don't have any more on carousels. The gig was that you were supposed to reach for the gold ring when you passed it on your horse. Usually, if you grabbed it, you got a free ride. When Holden concludes that you have to just let a kid reach, even though they might get hurt doing so, he might be saying admitting (although he probably doesn't realize it himself) that growing up is in fact necessary – for Phoebe and for himself; you can't really protect a kid from it, so it's better to just accept it as it is. Or he could just be talking about a gold ring.
