like to protect, not sleep with.

The most prominent theme in this novel relates to Holden's inability to let go of the past and move into the future. We can call this a fixation on innocence. 

Holden romanticizes and clings to memories of his dead brother Allie. There is no point at which Holden learns to accept Allie's death as being real or permanent. He speaks with Allie when he gets depressed and stressed, as he does in the New York hotel room. Holden also recalls a time when he felt he was disappearing and he called on Allie to save him. 

The death of his brother haunts Holden. A number of details from the narrative suggest that Holden's emotional growth and maturity are stunted by his younger brother's death. 

Holden's relationship to his sister also demonstrates his strong connection to childhood and his inability to let it go. He is fixated on Phoebe, on how great she is, and he repeatedly states that she is the only person who understands him. She is his only real friend. 

Holden's saving grace is his little sister Phoebe, whose clarity and compassion—if somewhat idealized—give him the strength to carry on. 

The two characters that Holden idealizes, his younger siblings, are exemplars of innocence and childhood. The many people he derides are sophisticated, jaded, mature, or simply grown up. 

There are many things and many people that spark distaste in Holden. The majority of them represent a loss of innocence in one way or another.

Holden's run-in with the prostitute and her pimp and his drink date with Carl Luce are both episodes where we see Holden invovled in a failed and troubled attempt to become more sophisticated and leave his childhood behind. Each episode ends in depression for Holden and becomes a near disaster.

It is innocence that Holden craves and which bouys him when he is with his sister. Yet, it is the inevitable loss of innocence that plagues him. He struggles to keep a distance between himself and any future loss of innocence by clinging to the past and to figures of innocence. Thus he ends up back in the park with Phoebe.

The park evokes his own fond memories of childhood, before his brother Allie's death, and seeing Phoebe circling around in this natural setting seems to bring him a sense of permanency and wholeness.

I would say that the main theme of Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye is loneliness. The fact that most of the story takes place in America's biggest city makes Holden's loneliness only more obvious by contrast. He seems to be a loner at heart, an introvert, an outsider, an onlooker. All his actions, including his pathetic adventure with the young prostitute, are attempts to break out of his isolation. He is a loner partly because he is exceptionally intelligent, not unlike some of the characters in his stories about the Glass family, published in the New Yorker and then in book form in Franny and Zooey, Nine Stories, and others.. He probably has a genius IQ but is not aware of it because he is too young to realize how much he differs from most of the people he encounters. The insights in his first-person narrative are sufficient to show that he is an exceptiionally intelligent young man, even though he keeps flunking out of schools. Being an introvert with a genius IQ makes him a misfit. People cannot understand him--and he cannot understand them. No doubt Salinger, who lived in seclusion for much of his life, was writing about himself.

Loss of innocence is another theme. Children most obviously represent innocence and purity in the book, and they are virtually the only people that Holden appears to like and connect with. His sister Phoebe and dead younger brother Allie are the children that he's most fond of, but his longing for a connection (or re-connection) to the innocent and happy world of childhood also comes up in other ways. For instance, there is the little girl he meets in the park, Phoebe's schoolmate, whom he praises for being 'polite', and he remarks that kids usually are. He also feels happy when among the Christmas shoppers with 'a million little kids' around. There is also the kid who walks in front of him along the street, singing, who cheers him up:

It made me feel better. It made me feel not so depressed any more.

For Holden, children represent the world of joy and innocence to which he longs desperately to return. For him, the innocence is now lost, but he wants to retrieve it. This longing gives rise to the book's title, as he pictures himself out in the fields with a lot of 'little kids' near the edge of a 'crazy cliff', where his only job is to save the kids from falling over the cliff. This is symbolic of his wistful, and futile desire to preserve the innocence of children, to stop them falling into the world of adulthood with all its attendant problems and complexities.

A theme in The Catcher in the Rye is the alienation and loneliness of youth.

Holden suffers from the same condition most teenagers do: he feels that no one understands him or appreciates him.  Holden has taken his feelings to extreme levels, because he is an exceptionally sensitive and introspective young man.  His angst often reveals itself in anger and depression.

I can't stand that stuff. It drives me crazy. It makes me so depressed I go crazy. (ch 2)

Such a comment, about the phoniness of his prep school, is common from Holden as he tries to find sincerity in the adult world.  While small things depress him, little things interest him too.  When he hears the little kid singing about the catcher in the rye,  he feels better because the kid is just “singing for the hell of it” (ch 16).

Holden wants to connect with people, but does not know how.  Even with Phoebe, he is not sure what to do.  He worries that if he gets close to people, they will disappoint him.  His need for connection and lack of ability to pursue it create an increased level of depression and anxiety for him.

The main themes in J. D. Salinger’s novel include alienation in modern society, the challenges of adolescence, grief, and recovery. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist and first-person narrator, is a teenager who does not feel at home anywhere. While other characters appear in the novel, it is primarily a coming-of-age story in which Holden does not significantly advance in maturing but instead suffers a mental breakdown.

While some of his difficulties are associated with his family situation, his alienation extends to society in general. Holden is existing in a liminal state because he is an adolescent moving from childhood to adulthood, as are his peers. However, Holden finds little in common with other children his age, especially the boys who are his classmates at Pencey Prep. His efforts to connect with a girl his age do not turn out well, and his idea of gaining sexual maturity through contracting a prostitute lead to disaster.

Some of Holden’s problems stem from unresolved issues of grief and the ongoing recovery following the death of his brother, Allie. Holden has been enrolled in and expelled from numerous prep schools and, having lived away from the family’s New York apartment for so long, does not feel at home even there.

While Holden feels very close to his sister, Phoebe, his inability to belong has been exacerbated by his parents’ emotional distance, as his mother apparently has not recovered and his father is suppressing his emotions.

To answer this question, I would like to discuss the era in which The Catcher in the Rye was published. This book hit the shelves in 1951, when the post-war American industrial economy was booming, giving rise to a prosperous nation that had specific rules for its young people. Holden Caulfield's character and language are in violation of these rules in a number of ways.

I would argue that a notable cultural aspect of this book's importance was Salinger's use of swearwords and slang in Holden Caulfield's dialogue and descriptions. The use of such language was clearly intended to be a notable departure from the social norms and societal expectations of the time. Teenage boys were meant to speak and behave in a certain way, and Holden Caulfield adhered to none of the rules. This led to the book being banned in some areas, due to fears of moral decay and the bad example being provided.

Holden's language and tone add deeper meaning to the story by creating an air of cynicism and disgust with the shape that the world is in. It is the unconventional voice in which Holden tells us about his disappointments with the adult world together with his use of surprising vernacular that makes his story authentic and his character relatable. He does not shy away from his dissatisfaction with the superficiality of the people and the world around him.

The curse words scribbled on the school wall symbolize the loss of innocence that Holden fears and which is attached to adulthood.  The curse words show that the children in the school are being shown something that is mature; by being shown these words, the children are being forced to grow up too early. THis is what Holden most fears (growing up) and it truly angers and upsets him that his little sister might also be exposed to this. What he loves most about her is her innocence; he does not want that innocence wiped away by anything.  His brother Allie's death took his innocence, and his life and the life his family had was forever changed for the worse. Therefore, Holden sees growing up as something that one is forced to do, as the acceptance of a word that is darker and full of sadness and forced restrictions. 

Symbolism is effective in a story when a symbol points to a theme or major idea. In "Catcher in the Rye", the symbols point directly to a major idea of theme the author is trying to communicate. For example, the natural history museum, which Holden enjoys visiting, points directly to the idea that Holden does not like change. The museum is always the same and one problem Holden has is an inability to change and grow up. His red hunting hat points to the idea that Holden is looking for answers about Allie's death and other questions about life. The ducks in the pong must leave in the winter and become homeless. This also points to the idea that Holden has been left homeless and "frozen out" of his family. Thus Salinger helps point us to the theme by the use of well chosen symbols.

Without a doubt, the most iconic symbol in The Catcher in the Rye is Holden's red hunting cap, which is representative of his individuality and desire to stand out from the "phonies" of the world. However, the most important symbol is arguably the Museum of Natural History. The museum gets to the heart of what Holden desires: a world that never changes.

Change is one of the things Holden hates most. He resents the complexities of the adult world. He still suffers greatly from the death of his younger brother, Allie. Sexuality alternatively fascinates, confuses, and repulses him. His fantasy of preventing children from losing their innocence is indicative of his own wish to remain a child forever.

The museum stands as a symbol of this great wish. In the museum, Holden claims that the exhibits never change and that the only thing that does change is "you." However, it is never made clear whether even this is so: when Holden arrives at the museum in the story, he does not go inside, for fear of disrupting his idealized notion of what the museum is. He does not want to ruin what it represents for him by going inside and possibly seeing that the exhibits have changed. This makes the museum symbolic of not only Holden's greatest desire, but also one of his greatest weaknesses: his own self-delusion.

While J. D. Salinger uses a good number of symbols in The Catcher in the Rye, some of the most important are the red hunting hat, Allie’s baseball mitt, the ducks, the museum, and the carousel.

The red hunting hat and Allie’s glove remind Holden of his brother, so he can never part with those items. The glove belonged to Allie and is special to Holden because it was special to Allie. He wrote some of his favorite poems on the mitt, so reading them helps Holden to feel close to his brother. The red hunting hat reminds Holden of Allie’s red hair. It becomes a crutch to Holden, and when he puts it on, he seems to feel a little better.

The ducks are also important to the story, as they represent Holden himself. He worries about what happens to the ducks when the pond freezes over, and even considers that someone will come with a big truck to take them to shelter for the winter. This situation can be viewed symbolically: Holden is also concerned about what will happen to him, and he can identify with the ducks. He is feeling depressed and becoming physically ill, so he wishes someone would come to save him. He transfers his concern for himself over to the ducks.

The museum and the carousel are also significant to the novel, because they represent truth and change. As he was growing up, Holden loved the museum because it always stayed the same. He could count on the exhibits never changing. Now, he realizes that life is filled with changes, and he is not ready to accept that fact. The one place he always loved to visit is now not so inviting to Holden, because he knows that even though the exhibits may be static, people and situations will always change. The one big change in Holden’s life was losing Allie, which prompted other changes to occur, such as his being sent away to school.

Holden’s realization is finalized at the carousel as he watches Phoebe and the other children grabbing for the gold ring. At first, he is terrified that she will fall; then he realizes that he cannot protect her for the rest of her life. Phoebe will need to grow up, just as Holden has, and that is a fact of life that can never be changed.

One of the most poignant symbols in The Catcher in the Rye is the ducks in Central Park. In Chapter 1, Holden wonders where the ducks go in the winter when the lagoon in Central Park freezes over. He says,

I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over. I wondered if some guy came in a truck and took them away to a zoo or something. Or if they just flew away.

Holden feels connected to the ducks in some way, and they might even represent his concerns about himself. He, like the ducks, feels misplaced because he has just been kicked out of prep school and feels reluctant to go home. He is also caught between wanting to be grown up and wanting to retain the innocence his younger sister, Phoebe, still has. Later, in Chapter 20, Holden goes to find the ducks in Central Park, but he grows upset when he can't find any waddling around. He worries the ducks have no place to go; in that sense, the ducks represent his own displacement.

One piece of personal property that Holden Caulfield seems to be attached to in the novel "Catcher in the Rye" is his hat, so it can be seen as a symbol as it is so closely identified with him and has strong connotations. For example, there is the connotation of the hunting hat idea. So Holden caulfield is always going hunting, but remembering it is a symbol - what is he really hunting for? Some people have picked out the fact that it ties in with the title of the novel itself and the idea of a "Catcher." So Holden looks like he is hunting for people he can catch or save - sadly he can't save his own sibling and the grief of the bereavement causes him trauma and breakdown. Look for other characters that Holden feels some responsibilty for - and for when the cap is on, and off!

In The Catcher in the Rye, one of the key themes is innocence and Holden's determination to protect the innocence of children. Holden believes that adults and the adult world are corrupt. He appears obsessed with innocence and youth, which act as a shield from his need to face reality. He daydreams about two children who never grow up. This daydream relates to his younger brother's death.

The theme of remaining a child also permeates the novel. By the end of the work, Holden has to face the fact that children do and must grow up, and that life is a journey from childhood to adulthood. Holden is immersed in the idea of phonies,which is somewhat immature. He labels many adults as phony without much reason.

In delivering his theme about a young man's reluctance to leave childhood behind and his dread of joining the adult world, J. D. Salinger uses imagery and symbolism in characterizing Holden Caulfield.

Salinger's description of Holden belies his desire to remain safely in the innocence of childhood. Holden is quite tall, with a gray streak in his hair. Nonetheless, Holden tries to forestall his high school graduation and entrance to adulthood by intentionally flunking out of prep school after prep school. Moreover, he wears an ironic red hunting hat that in some way recalls the red hair of his beloved late brother, Allie. His desire to hang out with Phoebe and the interest he takes in children he encounters, such as the boy in the movie theater, the boy singing in the street, the little girl from Phoebe's school, and the boys in the museum, are symbolic of his desire to remain young himself.

Holden's realization at the carousel (a symbol of childhood) that he can no longer repeat the cycle of childhood is symbolic. He knows that for now, Phoebe belongs there, but his refusal to join her on the ride suggests that he has begun to accept the inevitability of leaving the protections of childhood behind.

In a classic such as this book, there are may symbols.  So, I will give one of the most recognizable symbols, which relate to some major themes in the book.

Perhaps the most recognizable symbol in the book is Holden's red cap. It is a sign that he wants to be different. He is an individual, not like the rest. We can say that he is not part of the herd and he wants people to know it. The dark side of this is that Holden is  a very critical person. For example, one of Holden's favorite words in the book is the word, "phony."

As Holden sees it there is phoniness everywhere, especially in the adult world. To be sure, Holden's ideas are superficial in many ways, but he is also an accurate observer of society with all its pretensions. As we read the book, there are plenty examples of phoniness. Characters such as Carl Luce, Maurice and Sunny, and even Mr. Spencer can be seen to be phony. The irony of all of this is that Holden is also a phony, which he never quite seems to notice. The reader is supposed to pick up on this one.

The red cap also ties into the theme of loneliness. Holden wants to be so different that he does not have a companion. We can say that his desire to stand apart is the very thing that perpetuates his loneliness. On the one hand, he wants a meaningful companion; on the other hand, he is alienates people, like when he alienates Sally Hayes on a date.

Uniqueness is a lonely place.