摘要

《麦田里的守望者》是美国作家杰•戴•塞林格第一部也是唯一的一部长篇小说。角色困惑和象征主义是本论文主要讨论的问题。塞林格使用许多具有深刻含义的象征贯穿全文。
    本文从介绍小说的社会历史背景及象征手法的定义入手，着重分析了托马斯山，红色猎人帽等四个反应主人公角色困惑的意象，并进而讨论了表现主人公对身份进行探求，及探求失败的象征手法运用。

关键词：象征；困惑；探求

Abstract

The Catcher in the Rye, is J. D. Salinger's only novel. It depicts Holden’s three-day- roving in Now York. Role confusion and symbolism are the two important issues to be discussed in this thesis.
In order to reveal the protagonist’s role confusion, Salinger uses many meaningful symbols throughout the novel, including the red hunting hat, the Thomsen hill, the hero's against the adulthood and the title "The Catcher in the Rye". The second part of the thesis focuses on the symbols suggesting the hero’s quest for self-identity and symbols suggesting the failure of the quest.

Key words: symbolism; confusion; quest

1 Introduction

The Catcher in the Rye the only novel by Salinger, describes Holden’s three-day-roving in New York to reflect the spiritual struggle of American youth in 1950’s. It has a lasting influence on American youth. There are many symbols involved in The Catcher in the Rye, so analyzing the use of symbolism in the novel can help readers understand it better.

1.1 Introduction to J. D. Salinger and the Novel

J. D .Salinger (1919~2010), a distinguished American novelist and short story writer, holds a significant place in literature after World War Two. He is famous for his first novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951), which has become one of the two "modern classics" in contemporary American literature (the other one is Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man published in 1952).

The story covers a span of three days, from the day Holden leaves Pencey Prep, the fourth school he has flunked out of, to the day he watched his sister Phoebe riding carrousel in the rain at the zoo. He intends to go home four days later like other students when the Christmas vacation begins. He feels desperate helplessness. During the three days he spends roving, something he encounters becomes the last straw upon Holden’s shoulders and eventually leads to his breakdown.