Compare and contrast how important symbolism is to our understanding of the text in
‘The Catcher in the Rye’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’.
Symbols are elements that represent concepts that go beyond literal meaning. An item,
event or character that encapsulates additional signification is known as a symbol in
literature. Both J.D. Salinger and Tenessee Williams craft symbols to express common
themes that their works, ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ (TCITR) and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’
(ASND) both share. The first theme expressed in both texts is the destruction of innocence,
reflected in the titles’ symbolism, creating an understanding of the consequences on a
character’s development through time. The second theme is societal ostracisation,
represented through Holden’s hunting hat and Streetcar’s metaphorical rape scene, aiding
the reader to interpret the ways in which characters isolate themselves and become
outcasted by others in the time period of writing. The final theme is confronting trauma, the
most contrasting: Salinger presents moving forward through Phoebe challenging Holden’s
beliefs, and yet the Varsouviana Polka haunts Blanche until the very end, developing the
discussion of the capability of characters to heal from past pain.
The first theme shared is the destruction of innocence. Both writers create symbolic titles,
resonating with Holden and Blanche, enigmatic individuals who cling to their innocence.
Salinger crafts a powerful extended metaphor, ‘The Catcher in the Rye’, which describes
Holden’s aspiration: ‘catching’ children from going over the edge. The children represent
innocence, perhaps even Holden’s own, and the fall from the edge typifies the transition to
adulthood. This alludes to Holden's anxiety about maturing: by ‘catching’ the children, they
never lose innocence. Holden listening to a child singing ‘Comin' Thro' the Rye’ is what gave
rise to this imagery. He interprets the lyrics as ‘If a body catch a body comin’ thro the rye’ but
Phoebe corrects them to ‘If a body meet a body comin' thro the rye.’ This demonstrates
Phoebe, the sister Holden works hardest to protect, is aware that it refers to sex. However,
Holden uses his version to justify his actions and attitude, thus this ironic mistake defines his
choices. Therefore, the title symbolises the destruction of innocence, which Holden is
desperately trying to cling onto for himself and others since he lost his own when Allie died.
Similarly, in ASND, Blanche’s disillusionment is epitomised when Williams uses the concepts
of streetcars, one ‘named Desire’ and ‘one called Cemeteries’ to take Blanche to ‘Elysian
Fields’. This symbolism links Holden and Blanche: Blanche lost her innocence when Allan
Gray died, Holden lost his when Allie passed, a clear parallel. After Allan's passing, Blanche
turned to desire, where she ‘had many intimacies with strangers’ to cope with death ‘to fill
[her] empty heart’. Like Holden, she creates a false perception to cling to innocence, like
avoiding questions about her age (‘Why do you want to know?’). Due to Stanley's abuse,
, Elysian Fields becomes a metaphor for the breakdown of Blanche’s psyche. It contrasts with
her utopian ideas and symbolises the harsh reality. Holden also suffers with accepting that
the world is harsh, through Salinger’s symbolism of Sunny’s ‘green dress’, a representation
of lost innocence. Holden wishes to preserve it, which explains why he ‘[felt] sort of sad
when [he] hung [her dress] up’. When she removes the clothing, the innocent facade
vanishes. Holden pays her to go because he holds guilt of losing one’s innocence. Similarly,
Holden, like Blanche, finds it impossible to accept reality. While Blanche hides her own
reality, Holden chooses to ignore the world’s reality. As critic Tobias Wolff stated, ‘Holden,
after all, isn’t unhappy because he sees that people are phonies; he sees that people are
phonies because he is unhappy’ (Temple, 2018). It is his mental decline from losing his
brother that causes him to despise the adult world and not want to grow up. Holden's
perception of the world being destroyed by the death of Allie is a reflection of Salinger’s own
faith wounded by war. Similar to how Holden was plagued by the ghost of Allie, Salinger was
haunted by memories of dead companions. The tragedy is the same in both the author and
the character: a shattered innocence (Slawenski, 2011). These symbols have importance
because they establish both characters’ struggle to accept reality, and therefore they create
false perceptions to cope. However, they differ in significance because Williams’ is more
effective in understanding the text by linking death and desire. Blanche's mental collapse
and death of the Southern Belle are foreshadowed by the streetcars ‘Cemeteries’ which
symbolises death, and ‘desire’ symbolising how harmful and intertwined sexual passion is.
Salinger, on the other hand, uses the irony and true meaning of the metaphor to foreshadow
Holden accepting growing up. This metaphor is not as important to our understanding due to
the effect of the carousel, serving also as a metaphor for Holden's acceptance of growing up.
This is more significant because it is at the culmination of the novel and demonstrates
Holden’s character development, pairing his fear and overcoming it together.
The second theme is both characters’ inability to conform. While Holden cannot conform
because he rejects adult society, Blanche cannot conform because she renounces reality:
the Old South no longer exists. Due to this, both characters are ostracised. A significant
emblem in TCITR is Holden’s ‘red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks.’ After
he let his fencing team down by forgetting equipment, Holden purchases the hat at a
vulnerable moment. Given that Holden would never admit to feeling exposed, the hat
perhaps is a coping mechanism. It shows Holden’s desire to be unassociated with society, a
symbol for his character, but he removes it when meeting new people, indicating he is
uncomfortable because it is such a bizarre expression of individuality. Therefore, it depicts
Holden's conflict between the need for company and the need for solitude. Holden is aware
of the connotations of ‘red’ because he remarks that he ‘shoots people in this hat’ as if
