Comment on the use of Salinger's symbolism in The Catcher in the Rye.

A very important symbol that Salinger uses in this famous text is the Museum of Natural History. Salinger uses this symbol to establish central truths about the character of Holden. One of the interesting things about him is his self-confessed love of the mummies at the museum. All of the displays, but of course especially the mummies, represent the kind of frozen immobility that appeals to Holden. They, unlike himself, don't change, and they can be counted upon to stay the same. Note what he says about how he likes to look at the mummy exhibition:

I sort of liked it, in a way. It was so nice and peaceful.

Holden desires a world that represents frozen time, that is resistant to the forces of change, and which is immune to the chaotic changes that life forces on people. He is somebody that is bewildered by his brother's death, somebody who hates conflict and somebody who finds change very difficult to manage. As a result, the museum is somewhere that he likes.