The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye

The ducks in central park - my thoughts and observations

In the book The Catcher in the Rye Holden, the main character, seem to think about the ducks in central park a lot. He asks several people about them and where they go on the winter. He asks if they fly away or if they are caught and brought to a zoo or something. The answer he gets is never satisfying. If you are not observant Holden's obsession with the ducks in central park may seem like only an obsession over the ducks their self, but they mean so much more.

To me the ducks in central part is the most important symbol in the book. You can speculate how much you want about it and never get any real answers why Holden act as he does. It makes it a very significant part in the book.

I think this question is a symbol of how Holden feel the pressure in his life. The ducks get less and less room in the pond before it freezes completely and the ducks is forced to flee. In the book I think it represent the pressure in Holden´s life closing in on him and forcing him to figure out what to do next and move on. 

His little brother Allie is not mentioned much in the book but I think his death is a very important factor in the book. In my view Holden is stuck in a cycle of grief over the loss of his brother. He can´t make sense of his death and the ducks become like a symbol of eternity and renewed life since they always come back when the weather gets warmer and the ice smelts in the spring.

His brother´s death and he himself not getting much moral support from his parents is in my opinion why Holden is drifting in life. He cannot find his way back to participation in society without getting some answers. And the ducks are symbolic of him having to deal with tough situations in his environment. The questioning where they go on is symbolic for his search of a safe haven in a harsh world.

To round it up I want to say that this may not have been the best book I have ever read but it was a real eye-opener. It gave you much to think about. Like the ducks in central part. Why...