Birou
Name _____________________________________________________
The Catcher in the Rye
Holden’s Red Hunting Hat
The red hunting hat the keeps reappearing in The Catcher in the Rye is one of
the most famous symbols in all of literature. Scholars for years have had different
opinions about what the hat might mean. Below are categories of some of the
major theories. Write at least 2-3 sentences about how you think the hat fits
into each particular category. YOU MUST DISCUSS SPECIFIC SCENES
FROM THE STORY FOR EACH THEORY.
1. Alienation/Individuality______________________________________________________________________
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2. Attachment with childhood (some would say obsession) ___________________________________________
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3. Hunting/Danger ___________________________________________________________________________
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4. Red (What else is red? Look at page 38.) ______________________________________________________
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5. Looking older. (When does he wear the hat and when does he not? Think about the nightclub scene and The
Lavender Room.) _________________________________________________________________________
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6. Stress/Relieving Stress _____________________________________________________________________
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HOLDEN’S red hunting hat is a symbol of his alienation. It protects him, and makes him feel unique, but also
singles him out as strange, which in turn reinforces his alienation. The hat is also a symbol of Holden’s
attachment to childhood—it’s the kind of goofy accessory that a proper adult wouldn’t wear.
This is easy. It is a "hunting" hat. What could he be hunting for? Why is the hat red? What else was significantly
red in the novel? Look at page 38.
Think also of when Holden wears the hat and when he doesn't. Does he wear the hat when he is in the bar or
when he is dancing? No, and why not? Yes, you are correct. He wants to look older at those times.
Red Hunting Hat: Holden's individuality. A red hunting hat is certainly an oddity at Pencey Prep and in New York
City. And that is precisely what Holden himself wants to be: different, unique. In short, the hat is his red badge of
individuality. Holden's hat could also symbolize his own personal hunting expedition–for himself. Further, its color
could symbolize his dead brother, Allie, who had red hair.
Holden buys a red hunting hat in New York for a dollar after he loses the school’s fencing equipment. The hat has
a very long peak, and Holden wears it backwards, with the peak turned to the back. He puts this hat on when he
is under a lot of stress, almost as if the hat can protect him and ends up giving it to his sister Phoebe near the end
of the story.
It is also worth noting that "red" signifies danger. Holden's mind is in a perilous state, he is on the verge of a
breakdown. The color of the hat flags this for us. Similarly, the hunting theme associated with it contain elements
of danger, Holden feels that there is something from which he must escape, just as if something were hunting
him.