What does Holden Caulfield carry with him in The Catcher in the Rye? Throughout the novel, Holden is protective of children and innocence. Surely, this is related to his feelings for Allie, whom he could not defend from death. He keeps Allie's
baseball glove
with him and often thinks about his brother.
What allies glove means?
Allie's left-handed baseball glove is a physically smaller but significant symbol in the novel. It represents
Holden's love for his deceased brother as well as Allie's authentic uniqueness
.
What does Holden make and then carry around for the night?
It's snowing (since it's December in Pennsylvania), and Holden packs
a snowball
. He tries to throw it at about ten different objects but keeps changing his mind, and finally just carries it around until they get on the bus and the driver tells him to ditch it. We're pretty sure this is symbolic.
What mental illness does Holden have in Catcher in the Rye?
Holden displays many common traits of a person with
PTSD
following this loss. He has substantial amounts of guilt and depression and struggles to remember the details of events in his life. Holden's emotions seem to be highly unbalanced.
Why does Holden bring Ackley with him and Mal?
Why does Holden ask Ackley to go out with him on Saturday night? Because Ackley never did anything on Saturday night, except sit in his room, so
Holden figured if he and Mal were going to hang out
, they might as well invite Ackley too.
Why is Holden so nervous when he asks Stradlater about the date with Jane Why do they fight?
Holden is nervous about his going out with Jane
because of Stradlater's sexual experience
. … He is quite sure that Stradlater will do his best to seduce Jane, as he does with every girl he takes out on a date. Holden uses the term “nervous,” but actually he feels jealous, possessive, and protective.
Why did Holden have to leave Ernie's?
Why does Holden leave Ernie's? Holden leaves Ernie's
because Lillian is becoming annoying
. He would rather leave then spend more time talking to her. … Holden becomes unimpressed with him and leaves.
What is the most important symbol in The Catcher in the Rye?
Holden's Red Hunting Hat
The red hunting hat
is one of the most recognizable symbols from twentieth-century American literature. It is inseparable from our image of Holden, with good reason: it is a symbol of his uniqueness and individuality.
What does Holden's hat symbolize?
Here, the red hunting hat symbolizes
Holden's alienation from society and his intentional isolation from people
. … Holden describes that he wore the peak of the hat around the back and “liked it that way,” seeming to get comfort from the sense of individuality the hat brought him.
What does Holden symbolize?
Holden represents
the attempt to shelter kids from growing up
, and more personally, represents his desire to avoid the harshness of adult life. The Catcher in the Rye, Part 2: The symbol is ironic.
Does Holden Caulfield lose his virginity?
Holden Caulfield does not lose his virginity during
the course of The Catcher in the Rye, though he makes some half-hearted attempts to do so.
Is Holden Caulfield in a mental hospital?
Holden (despite the confusion of the Harcourt Brace executive) is not crazy; he tells his story from a sanatorium (where he has gone because of a fear that he has t.b.),
not a mental hospital
.
What's wrong with Holden Caulfield?
Holden Caulfield suffers from
post traumatic stress disorder
. The fictional cause is the death of his beloved little brother, Allie. The reason that The Catcher in the Rye is so powerful is that it is a true book (I don't say that it is a true story). … Salinger, himself, and Holden's PTSD is Salinger's PTSD.
What is Holden like in his interactions with Ackley?
He is interrupted by Ackley, a pimply student who lives next door. According to Holden, Ackley is
a supremely irritating classmate who constantly barges into the room
, exhibits disgusting personal habits and poor hygiene, and always acts as if he's doing others a favor by spending time with them.
What does Stradlater do when Holden keeps provoking him?
When Stradlater nonchalantly refuses to tell Holden any of the details, Holden attacks him, but Stradlater
pins him to the floor and tries to get him to calm down
. Holden relentlessly insults Stradlater, driving him crazy until he punches Holden and bloodies his nose.
What dirty trick did Mr Spencer pull on Holden?
Spencer pulls the ultimate dirty trick on Holden.
He pulls out Holden's latest essay on the Egyptians and reads its aloud, right down to Holden's self-degrading note
: “I know this is junk, so it's OK if you flunk me, don't worry about it” (Ch. 2).
