Symbolism in The Catcher in the RyeJ. "The Catcher in the Rye" by D. Salinger, published in 1951, is his best work. The story is about a sixteen year old young man named Holden Caulfield. Holden is expelled from Pency Prep and decides to leave three days early. He chooses not to return home, allowing his parents to receive the letter his Pency Prep principal wrote to his parents about his expulsion. He chooses to stay in New York until Wednesday, when he can return home. During the three days, Holden has difficulty discovering who he is. Throughout the novel, the reader is presented with many different symbols. The symbols are clearly seen by Holden's constant repetition of their importance. Symbols are so important and their symbolism is directly related to the main themes of the novel. Allie, Holden's young brother who died several years earlier, was an important symbol throughout the story. When Holden recalls incidents from his past involving Allie, his attitude changes, such as when he writes the composition on Allie's baseball glove or when Holden broke his hand after punching all the windows after Allie's death. “I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the damn windows with my fist, just for the hell of it.” (39) He feels that Allie was one of the few people who wasn't fake in a world full of fakes. More importantly, Allie represents the innocence and childhood that Holden strives to find throughout his three-day journey. According to Holden, Allie represents the purity that Holden seeks in the world. Holden admits that he admires Allie more than he admires Jesus, and at one point even prays to Allie, rather than Jesus. Allie is Holden's role model, by which he judges the rest of the world. When Allie dies, it creates turbulence in Holden's life. At several points throughout the novel, Holden asks what happens to the ducks normally found in a pond in Central Park when winter comes and the water freezes. On page 60, Holden asks, "Do you know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That pond? Do you happen to know where the ducks go when it gets all frozen over??"?