The Catcher in the Rye Symbolism

What do the Ducks Mean in The Catcher in the Rye

In The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger the author, weaved a variety of symbols into the novel. One symbol that contributed to the overall theme of the painfulness of growing up was the ducks in Central Park. From start to end, Holden wondered and asked people where the ducks went. In the novel, Holden states, I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was where did the ducks go, 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 (Salinger 13). Reading the Catcher in the Rye essay and critical thinking makes the connection that the ducks in the story actually represent the people which he has lost. For Holden, the ducks being gone is like growing up and losing people every year.

Even though Holden does not make it very obvious in the novel, he finds it very painful to grow up and lose the people he is close to. Holden failing classes and being kicked out of school may be an effect of him feeling the pain of growing up and acting out. Another part of the story where the ducks stood out was on Holden’s taxi ride in New York. Holden said, You know those ducks in the lagoon near Central Park south? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it all gets frozen over? Do you know by any chance? (Salinger 90) . Once again, Holden is bringing up the ducks and wondering where they are. Holden just can not get used to the fact that things will not always be the same. He is stuck in the past and is having trouble realizing that Allie is gone and times are no longer the same. In the novel, he refers a lot to Allie and past memories that they have had together.

Such as the drummer boy and influences they have brought upon each other. Holden seems to be in denial about the fact that things have changed and he does not like it. In Catcher in the Rye, the author also states, The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move. . . . Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you, (Salinger 121). The importance of that quote is to show how Holden does not like change and is opposed to it, it tends to make him uncomfortable and feel out of place. The last major part of where the ducks contributed to the overall theme of the story was in chapter twenty. After Luce leaves, Holden decides to stay at the bar and eventually gets very drunk. Holden drunkenly takes the walk to Central Park where Salinger then goes to writes, I walked around the whole damn lake-I damn near fell in once, in fact-but I didn’t see a single duck. I thought maybe if there were any around, they might be asleep or something near the edge of the water, near the grass and all. That’s how I nearly fell in. But I couldn’t find any. (Salinger 154).

Holden looking for the ducks could be seen as representing him looking for the people he has lost in the process of growing up. Such as Jane, the girl whom he really liked, and him talking to Allie as he crossed each street. As he looks he realizes that there is no one there anymore. Everyone has grown up and it is causing him a lot of pain. A big role for Holden feeling like he has lost many people could be the fact that he was away at school. It has made him depressed losing his brother and being away from his family. Holden then goes on to make the decision to try and move out west in an attempt to escape New York. The ducks leaving is can be seen similar to Holden running from his problems. All in all, the symbolism of the ducks in The Catcher in the Rye tie back to the overall theme of the painfulness of growing up. Holden’s seeing the ducks leaving is similar to him leaving his problems.

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