The Red Hunting Hat that Holden adores wearing is a symbol for his individuality and uniqueness throughout the novel. It is described as being very unusual and Holden has conflicting views about wearing the hat in public. Holden's self-conscious attitude toward his favorite hat represents his internal conflict of wanting to be isolated from society while still having companionship with others at an erratic frequency that is slightly reminiscent of Bipolar Disorder. The hat may have deeper significance to Holden than what he implies in the book, but it is known to many as a symbol of conflicting values from Twentieth-Century America.
“…but it was freezing cold and I took my red hunting hat out of my pocket and put it on, I didn’t give a damn how I looked."
“I took my old hunting hat out of my pocket while I walked and put it on. I knew I wouldn’t meet anybody that knew me, and it was pretty damp out.”
Right he says he "kills people in this hat. It is a people shooting hat."
ReplyDeleteMore likely an allusion to the banned book Bambi: a life in the woods