Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger uses symbols to give meaning to Holden's journey through New York and explain the inner turmoil that leads to his mental collapse. For example, Salinger uses Holden's preoccupation with ducks to illustrate his resistance to adapt, particularly to his impending adulthood. Throughout the novel, he asks several people throughout the book where the ducks in Central Park go during the winter. None of them are sure, which increases Holden's sense of panic. He wants assurance that he will be able to make the transition without becoming shallow like most of the adults he sees around him, and that he will eventually grow out of it. However, he is unable to admit his need and few people try to help him. Upon leaving Pencey Prep, he discovered he had no real connection to the world. For this reason, he reaches out to everyone he can think of, except for people who can help him. Holden's questions about ducks are asked of two taxi drivers. The first has no answer, while the second gives more information about why Holden wants to know. The first taxi driver was annoyed and asked, "What are you trying to do Bud?...Are you kidding me?" (60). The taxi driver doesn't really understand what he's asking or why. All this only confirms for Holden the uncertainty of his future and further anchors his presentiment of becoming an adult. Conversely, the second taxi driver completely understands the underlying meaning of Holden's question and has much the same fear. Holden asks the same question. “Well, you know the ducks that swim in (the lagoon)?... Do you happen to know where they go in winter, by any chance?” Horwitz, the taxi driver, responds with surprising emotion. “How the hell... middle of paper ......re, Holden sits down and begins to contemplate his death. He thinks about the impact this would have on his family, and it's the only thing he holds on to. “Anyway, I was always afraid of getting pneumonia, with all those chunks of ice in my hair, and dying. I felt really sorry for my mother and father. Because of Salinger's use of ducks as a motif, Holden's breakdown is understandable. Finally, the reader sees Holden forced to admit that he must become an adult, just as ducks cannot stay in the pond during the winter. His mental breakdown is partly caused by his realization that he cannot be a fish, suspended in time until everything is better. At this point he is forced to recognize that he is not suspended in time, but is progressing, as little as he wishes. he. This moment by the pond is almost the cornerstone of the novel.