The Catcher in the Rye, written by JD Salinger, is seen throughout the story repeatedly asking the simple question: where do the ducks go in winter ? The simplicity of this question reflects a difficult situation for Holden that remains of utmost importance and significance throughout the novel. Although a complex character, Holden often acts analogously to a childlike figure who indulges in simplicity, questioning and responding to his own dilemmas in a simplified and youthful manner. His fascination with this issue can only be seen as the pure, younger side of his character. Additionally, finding the answer to this strange question remains a top priority for a character who otherwise abandons various opportunities, events, and unambiguously positive prospects in his life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first time Holden asks about ducks is when he goes to the hotel in Edmont. He curiously asks the taxi driver who takes him to the hotel for his opinion on where the ducks go during the winter. The question is unusually off-topic, but Holden insists with great verve that his question is genuine and badgers the taxi driver for a good-faith answer. The question can be described as random and unsystematic, analogous to its existence. Because the ducks and their location represent the unknown, Holden can greatly identify with them. At a point in his life where he is moving towards an unknown existence, the main character connects with the ducks because he has completed an important period of his life and is moving on to another phase. However, unlike the ducks, Holden doesn't know where he is going in his life. He feels that his pond, which represents his life until he left school, is also freezing and so he must find a comfortable and safe refuge with his new independence. Like many other parts of the narrative, Holden can only connect his independence and curiosity in a bizarre way, and compares them to ducks in a pond. Before visiting the pond himself, Holden again asks a taxi driver for advice on the current situation. The taxi driver's vehicle therefore comes to symbolize for Holden a comfortable place, a safe refuge where he can ask about ducks. Because the taxi drivers are much older than most of the characters Holden interacts with throughout the book, they are probably considered wiser. Additionally, they possess a keen sense of direction due to what they do for a living, and Holden could perhaps consider that they, of all people, know which direction the ducks are heading during the winter months. Later in the book, the conversation turns to ducks and fish. Holden insists, however, that even though the fish mean nothing to him, he is adamant about understanding the ducks' situation. The fish could very well be, figuratively speaking, children, still under the protective barrier of the frozen shell of the pond, apparently very restricted in moving freely. The ducks, in turn, seem to be the independent, free adults of the world, first relying on the pond for support, then flying off to where the sky is the limit with potential and possibility. In turn, Holden constantly finds himself in situations where he doesn't know whether he's more like a child or an adult. It is evident that Holden desires childhood due to his fond and warm memories of his youth, but he feels he is being forcibly pushed towards.