Catcher in the rye - Essay Example

Details Introduction In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Slinger has effective employed the use of symbols to portray different events and scenes that have been described throughout the story. Symbols have highly been developed throughout the novel and they mostly revolve around the development of the main character –Holden and how he perceives certain things in life. In these book, the writer tries to pass the message that there are certain things or certain aspects of that are very hard to avoid during the growth of a person.

One cannot hold onto his or her innocence forever as has been depicted in the novel, the more an individual clings onto it, the more he or she lose sight of oneself. The writer has effectively used symbolism to help pass the message that maturation and the Loss of innocence are inevitable rites of passage for all humanity. The author has used the symbol of the Museum of natural history, the Catcher in the Rye and the darks in the frozen pond to show that it is always difficult for an individual to avoid the loss of his or her innocence.

The Museum of natural history that Holden used to visit symbolizes a world without changes. Holden wishes that this could apply in life where by nothing had to change. He acknowledges that the main reason why he loved the museum was the fact that everything remained as it was. “The best thing though in that museum was that everything stayed right where it was. The only different thing in there was you” (Salinger 204). Holden admire the event that everything had to stay the same forever just like the thought of innocence preservation.

However, Holden knows that this is not possible and he even goes ahead to admit that he had become a different person in that his innocence had become diminished since he last visited the museum. Another symbol that has been used in the Novel is the Cather in the Rye. Holden say that he would like to be a catcher in the Rye to protect children from tumbling over the edge of a cliff. On the actual sense Holden had misheard the song of which the actual lyrics were if a body meet a body coming through the rye.

“I thought it was if a body catch a body” (Salinger 190). The word meet in the song refers to an encounter that leads to recreational sex. Holden intends to catch children before they fall out of innocence into the knowledge of both sex and adulthood “That all al do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the eye” (Salinger 194). The last symbol is the dark in the pond. He wonders what happens to the dark in the pond when it freezes. The duck in the pond symbolized Holden fear of change.

It symbolizes that Holden wants to remain frozen as child forever. This is further evidenced on page 198 when he urges Allie (his dead brother) not to let him disappear like the duck (Salinger 198).Conclusion In conclusion, we can see that all the symbols above, the Catcher in the Rye, the Museum of Natural history and the Ducks in the frozen pond have all been used to support the fact the maturation and the loss of Innocence are a rite of passage that cannot be avoided by all humanity. ReferencesSalinger, Jerome.

The catcher in the Rye. New York: Hamish Hamilton, 1962. Print.