Holden's Precious Accessory "The Catcher in the Rye" is a 1950s novel written by JD Salinger. It tells the story of a teenager who travels to several locations in New York after being expelled from his school, Pencey. Throughout the book, Salinger uses many symbols to show the feelings of the main character, Holden Caulfield. One of the most recognized symbols is Holden's red hunting hat. It is present in many situations and has a multitude of symbolic characteristics. The red hunting hat plays an important role for Holden and represents his individuality, his security as well as his struggle for the innocence of his childhood. At the beginning of the story, Holden buys the red hunting hat while he is in New York for a fencing match and wears it. throughout the book. Holden's individuality is shown when he wears and puts on his hat. For example: “The way I wore it, I had the old visor tilted back – very cheesy, I admit, but I liked it that way” (Salinger 10). Holden only wears his hat when no one is around because he knows how "cheesy" and "stupid" it will be »....