Throughout the story, Holden constantly mentions his “red hunting hat”. Something that I noticed consistently mentions his hat when nervous, pulling the peak over his eyes when asking Stradlater about Jane or putting it on after leaving Pencey in tears, and I think that his interactions with his hat reveal a lot about him. Part of what I think is interesting about this hat is how Holden is hyper aware of how “corny” it looks. He admits that it's “very corny, I'll admit, but I liked it that way. I looked good in it that way”, (Salinger 10) which symbolizes his persona of being straying from society. However, he often takes it off when he’s around people he actually wants to impress or fit in with, like when entering the hotel or when he’s trying to look "mature" at a bar. He hates "phoniness”, but he dislikes the judgment that comes with being different. By wearing a "corny" hat that he likes but then hiding it to fit in, Holden throughout the book is st...