That is why he talks about the brainoperation. He knows that he can be crazy and he wants to try and fix it. He talks aboutthe brain operations because he thinks that will help him fix his problem.A major symbol in the novel is the curb. After Holden sees a little boy crossing thestreet he crosses the street after him. However, he felt differently about stepping onto thestreet. Holden says that every time I came to the end of a block and stepped off thegoddam curb, I had this feeling that Id never get to the other side of the street (197). This quote is a large motif. Throughout the novel there is a feeling of death. Holden feelsthat while walking across the street he may not make it to the other side. he knows thathe is gong crazy and that it might actually kill him.Throughout the story these three symbols play a key role in letting a reader knowwhat is going on with Holden. The madman is a sign of him being crazy. The operation isa symbol for trying to fix the craziness. Holden knows that there is something wrong withhis mind and he wants a brain operation to fix it. The third symbol, the curb, is the symbolfor death. Holden thinks that if he does not have an operation to fix himself he will die. Without these symbols the reader would have no idea what is going on inside Holdenshead. The quotes in this paper are alot easier to understand if you read the novel. Butthey might be even easier if you knew Holden. God, I wish you couldve been there....
