Throughout the story, Holden often wonders about the ducks in Central Park, and asks where they go for the winter to the various cab drivers he meets throughout the story. “You know those ducks in that lagoon near central park? That little lake? By any chance do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over?” (Salinger 60). The migration of the ducks is most likely a symbol for Holden’s trauma from the death of his little brother, Allie, and to a lesser extent, the suicide of his old classmate, James Castle.
In the next scene, we see the man lying on a doctor’s table being examined, and cajoled by the doctor for being mute. After searching his wallet and finding a business card, he calls who we later learn is the mute man’s brother, Walt. He flies in from Los Angeles, to retrieve his brother, Travis. By the time Walt arrives in Texas, Travis has disappeared back into the desert. Walt tracks him down in the rental car, but when he stops, Travis doesn’t seem to recognize his brother.
Ultimately, Holden’s willingness to allow his sister Phoebe to reach for the gold ring on the Merry-Go-Round symbolizes his transition from a “duck” that escapes the winter because of reluctance to face responsibilities to a “fish” that embraces the process of coming of age because it is inevitable. In the beginning of the novel, Salinger employs Holden’s obsession with how the ducks cope with the winter to symbolize Holden’s unwillingness to become an adult. After arriving in New York, Holden sat in the backseat of a cab debating where to go. Holden had asked the cabdriver to turn around, but then [Holden] thought of something, all of a sudden. ‘Hey, listen,’ [Holden] said.
He feels as if he won’t survive the journey and will “disappear.” Holden, being his callow self, can’t comprehend that this ideal of his won’t work. Holden doesn’t understand that sooner or later, he will have to become an adult, whether he likes it or not. All people must ultimately face their fears and overcome them. One of the next symbols found in The Catcher in the Rye, is the ducks in the lagoon in Central Park. While Holden is conversing with Mr. Spencer about flunking out of school, Holden daydreams a bit, and starts thinking about the ducks in the lagoon.
This is very difficult for Huck because he would rather be out playing hooky from school, smoking tobacco, and fishing. Once one of the old ladies, Miss Watson, tries to teach Huck how to pray, but when he tried praying for fishing gear, he only “got a fish-line, but no hooks” (Twain 168). Eventually, Huck starts to settle down to civilized life by learning how to spell, read, write “and could say the multiplication table up to six times seven is thirty-five”(Twain 171). At this time Huck’s greedy father appears back in town because he has heard that Huck has over six thousand dollars in the bank and Mr. Finn wants it. Mr. Finn takes Huck away from the Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson.
The hat shows his uniqueness and self identity as he tries to distinguish the difference between himself and the ‘phonies’ or fake adults. Ironically he behaves the same by trying to not fit into society and be someone he is not, which is why he chooses to wear the hat and says ‘...I took my red hunting hat out of my pocket and put it on, I didn’t give a damn how I looked’ (p.80). He feels like he is the only one who can see through this display that they put on. Most importantly the hat is the same colour of his deceased younger brother, Allie’s hair. He loved his younger brother but he was sadly diagnosed with leukaemia and died.
Each of them represents a different perspective or feeling Holden has towards people or usually a customary or “phony” way of living. Throughout the novel the narrator refers back to the certain symbols on multiple occasions. Among other symbols, Salinger makes it obvious that the museum, the ducks and Allie all have made a big impact on Holden’s life. The novel takes place in New York City during the 1950’s as one could assume by the various outdated slang words in Holden’s vocabulary. Allie, Holden's young brother who died several years beforehand is a major symbol throughout the novel.
The Catcher in the Rye Essay When an author writes a piece of literature the author must connect, and awaken the readers’ soul. He must bring new life to the readers’ thoughts and ideas. Truly great literary works deeply connect with readers and change the readers’ outlook in the world. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger breaks the sea frozen inside American youth by depicting a young boy’s path through rebellion against school in the 1950s.
The day of Santiago Nasar's death also happens to be the day the Bishop plans to come by boat, to bless the marriage of Angela Vicario and Bayardo San Roman—though his blessings, as the reader learns later on, will be of no use. As the town prepares for the Bishop's arrival, Angela's twin brothers Pedro and Pablo sit in the local milk shop in order to watch for Santiago, so that they may carry out their plans to murder him. The reader gradually learns of Angela Vicario's story: her groom, Bayardo San Roman, was a foreigner who had come to town to find a bride. After finding Angela, Bayardo decided to marry her; his wealthy status compared with the relative poverty of the Vicarios left no choice for Angela's freedom, and thus they were planned to wed. The night before the wedding day, festivities in preparation for the wedding had taken place at a local whorehouse run by Maria Alejandrina Cervantes, where the narrator had partied with Santiago and the Vicario twins until the early morning.
Lenehan's personal paralysis is that he lives a pitiful life but doesn't wish to. While Corley goes to meet the woman, Lenehan wanders around and decides to stop when he sees a sign for "Ginger Beer and Ginger Ale" in the window of a refreshment bar and lets his mind wander to thoughts of Corley and the woman and afterwards states, "He would be thirty-one in November. Would he ever get a good job? Would he never have a home of his own?" with this Joyce paints the picture of poverty in Dublin and tells the reader how Lenehan has zero hope for his future.