The Fallout In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger is an expert in using literary devices such as symbols, motifs, and themes to convey messages in the reader's mind. One of these symbols is falling. in some parts of the story the fall emerges quickly or rather abruptly. the symbol of the fall is an important, but sometimes hidden, symbol. First, Holden tends to fall down flights of stairs a lot. Holden's dramatic downfall begins with his expulsion from Pencey. As he leaves the dormitory, he shouts, "Sleep well, you idiots!" and says as he runs out, "Some stupid kid had thrown peanut shells all over the stairs, and I almost broke my crazy neck." The next time Holden falls is when he buys a prostitute from Maurice, the man who operates the elevator in The Hotel Holden Stays There. As Sunny, the prostitute, knocks on Holden's hotel door, he trips and says, "When I went to open the door, I had my suitcase in the middle and I fell on it and almost broke my knee. Holden also falls later in the book when he leaves his parents' apartment after sneaking out ...