JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye tells an unforgettable story of teenage angst highlighting the life of Holden Caulfield, a young boy who begins a journey of self-discovery after being expelled from his private boarding school. Throughout the novel, Holden struggles with issues such as personal identity, loss, and a wavering sense of belonging. Holden's red hunting hat is constantly used throughout the story as a symbol of his independence and his attachment to his childhood. From the moment he receives it, Holden's red hunting hat becomes a symbol of his own alienation. After going to New York for a fencing match and losing the team's equipment in the subway, Holden is shunned by his teammates, who are angry that he has hindered. Holden is also aware of the image the hat projects on others, and often takes it off when around someone familiar. It functions as a metaphor for Holden's struggle between his need for independence and his need for companionship. Holden doesn't want people he knows to see him wearing the hat because he wants them to continue to be his friends and he fears loneliness. However, when no one is around, Holden has no problem wearing the hat and embracing its strangeness, because he feels a strong connection to the hat. While walking down the street in the middle of the night, Holden states that "it was freezing cold, and I took my red hunting hat out of my pocket and put it on: I couldn't care less how I looked." . I even turned my headphones down” (Salinger 88). Here, Holden doesn't care what he looks like because the only people who might see him in the desolate street are strangers to him. His image around strangers does not disturb him as much as his image around people who are familiar to him. Spencer, after being told he was kicked out of Pencey, turns to his red hunting hat for comfort. In this scene, Holden states that he “brought back the old visor – very corny, I admit, but I like it that way. I was fine with that” (Salinger 18). Here, the reader is given a glimpse into Holden's feelings towards his hunting hat. He understands that the hat is bizarre and mostly unattractive, but he somehow connects with it because he feels that, just like his hat, he is an outcast and an oddity. Holden believes that the hat suits him "good" because he and his hat possess similar qualities, and he believes that the hat fits his personality. It is also clear that Holden feels a sense of protection when wearing the hat, probably because he feels a strong connection to it. After the fight with Stradlater in the dormitory, Holden immediately seeks comfort and protection with his favorite hat. Holden says, “I couldn't find my damn hunting hat anywhere. I finally found it. It was under the bed. I put it on and turned the old visor back, the way I like it, and then I went over and took a look at my stupid face in the mirror” (Salinger 45). Holden puts on his hat before checking the extent of his injuries in the mirror. This action makes it clear that Holden sees the hat as a symbol of