J. D. Salinger presents an image of an atypical adolescent boy in The Catcher in the Rye. Holden is much more than a troubled teen going through "a phase." Indeed Holden is a very special boy with special needs. He doesn’t understand and doesn’t wish to understand the world around him.

Holden’s hunting hat: represents Holden’s isolation from society; he loves this hat because it symbolizes his independence from others; the hat, like Holden, is out of place in such a big city as New York; Holden sees himself as the catcher in the rye when he wears this hat; he tries to articulate this when he says to Ackley, "I shoot people in this hat." The hat als

Holden: narrator and main character; adolescent young boy, age sixteen, who searches for people and things which aren’t phony; envisions himself as a "catcher in the rye" who saves small children from death; throughout the story Holden attempts to preserve the innocence and genuineness of life, though his mental sickness prevents him from separating good from evil.

• innocence- Holden tries to protect the innocence of children.
• family- Holden's relationships with his parents and siblings have deteriorated.
• loss- Holden lost his brother, Allie.
• betrayal- Holden constantly feels betrayed throughout the novel.