Illustration of a man smoking a cigarette

The Catcher in the Rye

by J. D. Salinger

Start Free Trial

Discussion Topic

Holden's Red Hunting Hat Symbolism and Meaning

Summary:

In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden's red hunting hat symbolizes his internal struggles, individuality, and desire for protection. The hat's red color connects to his deceased brother Allie, representing innocence and childhood. Holden wears it during moments of isolation or distress, using it as a shield from adulthood's challenges. His act of giving it to Phoebe signifies his protective instincts, while her returning it indicates her maturity. The hat is a multifaceted symbol of Holden's conflict between isolation and connection.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

How might Salinger use Holden's red hunting hat as a symbol in chapter 2?

The hat, first mentioned in chapter 3 when Holden returns to his room after visiting his professor, symbolizes several of Holden's internal struggles within the novel.  The color red, a color that does not easily go unnoticed, points to one of Holden's biggest fears, which is disappearing as he grows older; this fear stems from the death of his brother Allie .  The color red also symbolizes Holden's aggressive feelings towards growing up.  The appearance of the hat "with one of those very, very long peaks" is different than a common baseball cap (Salinger 17).  Holden is drawn to this because part of him yearns to be different than his peers and most of the people he meets within the course of the novel.  Even the way that he "swung the old peak way around to the back" noting that he felt this to be "-very corny...but [he] liked it that way" shows that he wants...

Unlock
This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

to feel comfortable in being different than those he deems phony (18).   However, he is very conscientious about when he wears the hat and who is around him because there is another part of him that wants to fit in and be a part of the mainstream crowd; he just does not know how to go about achieving this due to his skewed view of the world and growing older.  The hat symbolizes this internal struggle by allowing him to stand out when he feels comfortable doing so, but its removal also allows him to conform without doing so in an overtly obvious way. 

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

In Chapter 25 of The Catcher in the Rye, what does Holden say his red hunting hat gives him?

Near the end of Chapter 25 in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden says,

My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way, but I got soaked anyway.

Throughout the novel, Holden has used the red hunting hat as a means of comfort and protection.  He first bought the hat when the fencing team "ostracized" him for leaving the equipment on the train, which symbolizes Holden's need to put up a protective barrier between himself and those whom he thinks harm him.  The hat is red, which is a direct tie to his brother Allie, who had red hair.  Holden looked up to his brother because Allie embodied all the traits that Holden saw missing in himself:  Allie was smart, creative, and well-liked by others.  During situations in the novel when Holden feels distressed, he puts on the hunting hat.  However, at the end of the novel, he gives the hat to Phoebe as a symbolic means of protecting her, but Phoebe doesn't need the hat and "chucks" it back at Holden.  So when Holden puts on the hat in this scene in Chapter 25, the rain soaks through, which represents the fact that Holden now realizes that sometimes life comes with obstacles that he get through on his own without having to put up barriers of resistance.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Where and when does Holden acquire the red hunting hat?

Holden sees and buys the red hunting hat in New York after losing the fencing equipment for the Pencey Prep team.  It is an unusual hat, and Holden likes to wear it backwards.  Not only does it keep him warm when he is wandering around New York City, but it is red.  The color red is a recurring motif in the novel and includes the color of Allie and Phoebe’s hair.  Perhaps this is a reason why Holden wears the hat.  It could be a symbol of Allie and Phoebe’s innocence, something Holden is “hunting” for in the phony adult world in which he thinks he is.  It can also be a symbol of the childhood he is reluctant to leave behind as he grows into adulthood.  It is a quirky choice of hats for anyone not hunting, but Holden’s personality seems to fit the hat perfectly.  Holden’s desire to not be conventional probably dictated his choice of hats. 

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

You can find the answer to this question right at the start of Chapter 3.  It's about one page into that chapter (page 17 in my copy of the book).

Holden Caulfield gets the red hunting hat while he is in New York City on the day that the novel starts (this is when he is in with the fencing team and loses all their stuff).  Right after he loses the swords, they get out of the subway and he sees the hat in the window of a sporting goods store.

He likes it and buys it for one dollar.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the significance of Holden giving Phoebe his hunting hat in The Catcher in the Rye?

This event occurs at the end of Chapter 23, and comes as Holden is leaving his parents' appartment and Phoebe to spend the night at Mr. Antolini's place. Note how the text seems to suggest that Holden decided to give Phoebe his hunting hat in a spontanous act:

Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it to her. She likes those kind of crazy hats. She didn't want to take it, but I made her. I'll bet she slept with it on. She really likes those kind of hats.

However, we need to be aware of the wider symbolic significance of Holden's red hunting hat. It is a bright, distinct and unique colour, and seems to operate in the novel as a symbol of Holden's desire to be unique and separate from everybody else. Thus, the way that, at this stage in the narrative, that he insists on giving it away to his sister, indicates a triumph in the internal conflict we see raging within him for the need Holden feels for companionship vs. his need for isolation. He has just spent time with the one character who he meets that he really connects with in every sense, and thus his willing sacrifice of his hunting hat is a symbol of his recognition that he does have ties and relations are important to him.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the significance of Phoebe returning Holden's hunting hat in The Catcher in the Rye?

Holden's bright red hunting hat is a vivid expression of his unique personality. In common with most young adults, he wants to proclaim his individuality, and wearing the big old hunting hat allows him to do precisely that. He wants to stand out from the crowd, to look completely different from others of his age. And to Holden, the bright red hunting hat is a sign of his authenticity, setting him apart from all the "phonies" by which he's constantly surrounded. Most important of all, the hat is a kind of comfort blanket, something that Holden feels gives him protection from a world he neither likes nor understands.

In giving the hat to Phoebe towards the end of the book, Holden is showing his concern for her well-being. He is offering his sister a symbol of childhood and the relative safety and security that it embodies. Holden is concerned at the potentially difficult transition to young adulthood that Phoebe may encounter. His own experiences in this regard form the basis of the entire book, and the last thing he wants is for Phoebe to have to go through a similar upheaval.

But he needn't worry. She's already much more mature than Holden in most respects, so she really doesn't need his hat. Throwing the floppy red hunting hat back at her brother is Phoebe's way of telling Holden that she's going to be just fine.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What does the red hunting hat symbolize in The Catcher in the Rye?

In Catcher in the Rye, Holden's red hunting hat is a symbol of his dead brother Allie who had flaming red hair.  Like Allie's  baseball glove with the poems written on it, the hat is symbol of innocence lost.  It is one of the many child-like things that Holden obsesses about.

The hat is an Elmer Fudd-like hunting hat, and Holden wears it to spite others.  He knows it is ugly and singular and out of place, and so is he.  He buys it at a second-hand store, and he is proud to wear it as an unfashionable symbol of anti-materialism.

He also wears it the way a child does: passive-aggressively.  It's a people hunting hat.  Thought Holden does not literally hunt people, he criticizes them both publicly and privately--in an immature, sarcastic, and often whiney way.  Rather than deal with his own problems, he fires the blame at others.  When he leaves Pencey, Holden wears it as he shouts his good-bye:

When I was all set to go, when I had my bags and all, I stood for a while next to the stairs and took a last look down that goddam corridor. I was sort of crying. I don't know why. I put my red hunting hat on, and turned the peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I yelled at the top of my goddam voice, "Sleep tight, ya morons!"

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Why does the protagonist wear a red hunting hat indoors at the start of The Catcher in the Rye?

Holden initially purchases the red hunting hat in New York after he is ostracized for losing the fencing team's equipment. Holden wears his beloved red hunting hat backward like a catcher and tends to wear it often in private. Holden realizes that he would look awkward wearing the hat backward in public and takes it off on the train, before going into bars, and in hotel lobbies. Despite its awkward appearance, Holden feels comfortable wearing the hat by himself, particularly when he feels extremely isolated.

Holden wears the red hat while writing the composition about Allie's glove, after Stradlater punches him in the stomach, as he is leaving Pencey Prep, and while walking around the city alone. One could surmise that Holden's red hunting hat offers him the opportunity to express himself as an individual and is a symbol of his childhood. By wearing the hunting hat, Holden feels unique and comfortable. Therefore, Holden wears his red hat indoors to make him reconnect with his childhood, express his individuality, and experience a brief respite from confronting adulthood.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

In the novel 'Catcher in the Rye' there could be several reasons why the main character Holden Caulfield chooses to war his hat indoors - it is up to us as readers to pick up the subltle markers and come to our own conclusions. We all arrive at a text with different experiences, so different readers will have different ideas speaking to them from a text. As a parent and teacher, for example, my observations would be that teens like to be different. The hat is a hunting hat - this is significant in terms of the theme of a 'catcher.' So, Holden is hoping to catch something. Also, teens (and particularly Holden) like to distance themselves from adult's values - so Holden is trying to advertise his 'uniqueness' and mark the fact that he is random and not 'phony.' He may derive a genuine sense of comfort from wearing the hat inside - perhaps it makes him feel close to someone or something it reminds him of. But he remembers to take it off at important times too.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Which three quotes illustrate the significance of the red hunting hat?

The red hunting hat in Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, is believed by many to be a symbol of security or isolation for Holden. It is interesting to note when he wears the hat as opposed to when he doesn't. Usually, he wears it when he wants to hide emotionally or pretend to be different than who he is. One of the first times that Holden puts on the hat is in chapter 5 when he sits down to write a descriptive paper for his roommate, Stradlater. Holden is actually a good writer and understands literature very well. He probably wears the hat thinking it will help him write the paper from Stradlater's point of view. Instead of being able to pretend to be Stradlater, though, Holden's brain visits memories of his deceased brother's baseball mitt, and he writes about that. Symbolically, then, the hat allows him to face hurtful or disturbing memories or experiences that he can't otherwise think about.

In chapter 6, Holden gets into a verbal and physical altercation with Stradlater over a girl. He doesn't leave well enough alone and provokes his roommate to bloody his face. When Holden gets up to look in the mirror, he puts on his red hunting hat first and says the following:

I couldn't find my goddam hunting hat anywhere. Finally I found it. It was under the bed. I put it on, turned the old peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I went over and took a look at my stupid face in the mirror. You never saw such gore in your life. . . . It partly scared me and it partly fascinated me. All that blood and all sort of made me look tough (45).

From the above passage, it seems as though Holden couldn't look himself in the mirror all bloody without the false security of the red hunting hat. Thus, he seems to be using it like a crutch to face himself or the reality of life.

Another example of Holden using his red hunting hat to face a difficult situation is right before he leaves the school for good and goes on his weekend on the town.

I was sort of crying. I don't know why. I put my red hunting hat on, and turned the peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then I yelled at the top of my goddam voice, "Sleep tight, ya morons!" I'll bet I woke up every bastard on the whole floor. Then I got the hell out (52).

Again, Holden puts the hat on whenever he needs help to face reality. In this case, he has decided to leave the school early (rather than wait for his parents to find out about his expulsion and come get him) and head out on his own.

In chapter 23, though, Holden gives his red hunting hat to his little sister Phoebe. He says that he gives it to her because she likes hats like that, but it is probably because of the following:

Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it to her. She likes those kind of crazy hats. . . . I'll bet she slept with it on. . . . It was a helluva lot easier getting out of the house than it was getting in, for some reason. For one thing, I didn't give much of a damn any more if they caught me. I really didn't. I figured if they caught me, they caught me. I almost wished they did, in a way (180).

By this point, Holden seems to be wanting to face reality, so he is able to give his sister his hat. Maybe he subconsciously wants Phoebe to have it so she can face the difficult time she may have without him in her life, since he's planning on running away. But when he says that he wishes that he would get caught, this must signal that he is almost ready to face reality without any disguise or help from anything else.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

How does the red hunting hat protect Phoebe in The Catcher in the Rye?

In a way, by giving the red hat to Phoebe, Holden is protecting her from a loss of innocence. Since this hat is so closely associated with Holden, it is also associated with his desire to honor innocence and reject "phoniness." Bestowing on her something so tightly related to him and his beliefs symbolically bestows on her his inner reverence toward innocence, thus protecting her from loss of her own innocence.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

I am not too sure why the red hunting hat would protect Phoebe. Unless I am mistaken, the text makes no reference to the way in which Phoebe is "protected" by the red hunting hat. In a sense, the importance of the hat is not related to Phoebe, but in the way that it is given to her by Holden and what this act represents. Let us remember that throughout the novel the red hunting hat seems to be a symbol of Holden's desire to be different and his uniqueness. It is clearly odd and this indicates the way in which Holden wishes to be separated from everyone else. Note what we are told about the hat in Chapter 3 when Holden is talking to Ackley:

He took another look at my hat . . . “Up home we wear a hat like that to shoot deer in, for Chrissake,” he said. “That’s a deer shooting hat.”

“Like hell it is.” I took it off and looked at it. I sort of closed one eye, like I was taking aim at it. “This is a people shooting hat,” I said. “I shoot people in this hat.”

Note the way that Holden's desire to be unique and isolated is linked to his alienation to the world. The reference to "people shooting" indicates the violence that he feels towards the "phony" people he is with, and of course his cynicism and language does allow him to "shoot" people metaphorically. Yet at the same time the way that throughout the novel Holden is self-conscious about his hat, telling us when he is wearing it, points towards the central conflict of the book as Holden struggles with his desire and powerful need for isolation and his equal need for companionship. When he gives the hat to Phoebe, we perhaps see the beginning of the end of this conflict, as his act of giving it to his beloved sister indicates the triumph of his recognition that he needs love and companionship.

Thus the hat, from my perspective, doesn't seem to be about Phoebe much at all. If it protects her, it is only because by being given it she is not going to lose her brother, as it represents his recognition that companionship and connections are important.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What symbol does the red hunting hat represent in The Catcher in the Rye?

The Catcher in the Rye was written by J. D. Salinger when he was about thirty-one years old, but he decided to have the book narrated by his young hero Holden Caulfield, who was sixteen years old and a dropout. Salinger needed to do at least two things: He had to establish that a sixteen-year-old boy was capable of writing such a book, and he had to keep reminding the reader that it was an adolescent boy who was telling his own story. The red hunting cap was probably not intended to symbolize anything so much as it was intended to remind the reader that Holden was still a kid. Holden was probably wearing a sports coat and slacks with a dress shirt and necktie. But the red hunting cap would have looked like something that only a kid would be wearing. Nobody would pay much attention in a place like Manhattan, but if we imagine Holden walking down one of the major streets we can't help thinking that this hat is something only a kid would wear, especially in the 1950s when men and women in big cities dressed pretty conservatively and men still wore conventional hats. If Holden's hunting cap symbolizes anything, it probably symbolizes that Holden is trying to be grown up but is still a kid at heart. It is significant that he gives the cap to his little sister Phoebe, who is only about ten years old. It suits her well, and she likes it. It is something a kid would like. When Holden gives it away, it is as if he is giving up his childhood. Something similar happens in Carson McCullers' The Member of the Wedding. When the young heroine Frankie Addams decides that she wants to be more "grown up," she gives her favorite doll away to her little cousin John Henry West.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Holden calls it a people-hunting hat.  It's like the one Elmer Fudd uses to hunt Bugs Bunny, a black comedic symbol of passive aggressive behavior.  It parallels the canon that Holden speaks of in the first chapter, the one that he wishes he could fire on the crowd at the football game.  Holden uses words as his weapons, and he buys the hat at a Thrift store to look ugly, to muster up false courage in running away, to protect himself against the phoney adult world.

Also, the hat is red like Allie’s bright red hair.  It's a symbol of Allie's death and Holden's survivor's guilt.  Holden wishes he would have been the one to have died, instead of his brother.  Salinger uses the hat much like Allie's baseball glove: Holden pays guilty homage to them both; they are his sacred objects.  He writes a touching composition about the glove, and he wears the hat on his mock heroic quest.  They are reminders of the past that help him confront the present.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What does Holden's red hunting hat symbolize about his character in The Catcher in the Rye?

It seems to me that the proper question about the red hunting hat should be “Why did the author J. D. Salinger invent it?” This brightly colored hat with its unusual shape is mainly a way of making it easier for the reader to visualize the young hero of the novel. It makes him seem to stand out in the central part of America’s biggest city and makes it easier to follow in our imagination. The hat can be taken to symbolize Holden’s immaturity. It is something only a kid would wear. It can also be taken to symbolize his rebelliousness and militant independence, because people in the 1940s dressed conservatively and dressed alike. The hat might also be taken to suggest that Holden is “hunting” for something. A weakness in Salinger’s novel is in the hero’s motivation. He seems to act on impulse and at random. The red hunting hat at least suggests that he does not have an objective, that he is a hunter and is hunting for something. That would explain why Holden bought the hat in the first place. He feels he wants to find something, but he doesn’t know what he is looking for. When he gives the hat to his sister Phoebe it is as if he is giving up his childhood.

Approved by eNotes Editorial