holden as the protector of children
thank you to google for the photo! In Chapter 22 of Catcher in the Rye, Holden introduces the title... but more specifically the significance to him and why the book is titled as such. We already see earlier on in the book as a little boy charms Holden by singing "if a body, catch a body. Coming through the rye" on the street. Holden tells Phoebe about these lyrics, when she asks him what he wants to do. Holden cites that he wants to be that Catcher in the Rye, to catch the children who are playing who come too close to the edge of the cliff. While Holden's fantasy is mildly delusional- and purely based on a misheard lyric- it holds obvious symbolism. Holden wants to protect the little children, those innocently playing and unaware of the dangers that loom just beyond their vision. We see this theme through multiple scenarios- with Jane, Phoebe, and Sunny-- to name a few. With Jane, he pictures her as the girl he had known. So, several years younger. He never goes do