Symbolism in the "Catcher in the Rye" Catcher in the Rye is a very powerful symbolic book written from the perspective of a troubled teenager, who seems to be excluded from and victimized by the world around him by his own choice. Throughout the novel, the reader is presented with various symbols. The symbols are clearly evident in Holden's constant repetition of their importance and their symbolism is directly related to the major themes of …
showed first 75 words of 1559 total

showed last 75 words of 1559 total
…related to the major themes of the novel. All these symbols are meant to give the reader an idea what goes on inside Holden's psyche , even when it is not always openly expressed. In this way, the ideas of innocence, childhood, loss, maturity, betrayal, alimentation and failure became clear to the reader. Therefore, understanding the themes of the book would be impossible without recognizing the importance of the symbols as well as understanding them properly.