J.D. Salinger, in his coming-of-age novel The Catcher in the Rye, repeatedly uses Holden Caufield's red hunting hat as a symbol to show Holden's growth from a young man terrified of becoming an adult to one who begins to accept that he must be able to live in an imperfect world.
In the beginning of the story, Holden introduces the hat as being red and floppy, and he purchases it in a store in New York when the fencing team traveled to the big city. In this part of the story, Holden wants to connect with Allie and does so by wearing on a red hunting hat, which is a connection to his brother's red hair. …
