Catcher in the rye Writing prompt 11/13/07

Many books have an adventure or lesson to be learned. There are certain symbols within the book that help you unerstand the meaning of the book as a whole. In the catcher in the rye, there are many of these sybols to help you see the big picture.

One of the symbols used in the book is the birds. The birds represent Holden. They represent him because whenever he is faced with trouble or fear he runs or 'flys' away from his problems, just like the birds. Along side the birds are the golfish in the fountain.

The goldfish in the fountain add to the story as a whole also. The goldfish represent everbody in the world except holden. These goldfish, no matter if they're scared or not, have to face their fears and deal with life because they have no way out of it. The goldfish deal with life just like everybody else in the world. Together, these symbols shine light on holdens world.


While Holden is sitting next to the fountain, he observes the goldfish trapped in their water world and he observes as the birds fly away from the cold winter. Holden is the bird that flies away to the safe place, and the world is the goldfish stuck in their icy fountain, stuck with the problems they have to deal with.
These symbols in the book as a whole show you the problems and the things running through Holden's mind. They show that instead of fleeting from your problems, you like everyone else must face your problems and move on.