The Catcher in the Rye " by J.D Salinger is about a teenage boy named Holden whom gets kicked out of his school and venture into and roams around NYC. By doing this he comes to terms with  growing up and loneliness. There are many symbols trough out the book. For example the ducks in the  central park lagoon and his red hunting cap . But I feel like the most important symbol is the catcher in the rye
               Holden's hat symbolizes his independence. He mentions the hat every time he wears it, symbolic of his desire to mention how independent he is. The fact that he often takes it off when around people he knows shows his conflict between wanting isolation and wanting companionship. It's no coincidence that the hat is the same color as Phoebe and Allie's hair (his brother and sister)
             
               The novel's most important symbol is found in the title. Holden explains to Phoebe that all he wants to be is the catcher in the rye. He pictures himself wearing a giant mitt, ready to catch kids as they fall off a cliff while playing in the rye. The kids represent childhood. The field represents innocence. The fall from the cliff represents the fall from innocence. Holden represents the attempt to shelter kids from growing up, and  represents his desire to avoid the harshness of adult life.
               
                Holden often thinks about where the ducks in the Central Park lagoon go when the lagoon freezes over.  while it might seem to be a relatively childish , the situation of the ducks is the situation that Holden feels he is in. Holden feels as though he was "looking for something his own environment couldn't supply him with." (p169) The idea of the migration of the ducks mirrors Holden's common resolutions to leave New York to find  a better place some where else.
              
                So as you can see the catcher in the rye is layered book with many deep meanings and symbols