Catcher in the Rye

Several pieces of literature have titles that immediately reveal what the stories are about . For instance , Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a tragic play about the prince of Denmark named Hamlet . Another example would be Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller , which tells the story of the life and death of a salesman named Willy Loman . However , there are also many literary works with titles that present symbolism , rather than obviously stating the gist of the story . One of those literary works is Catcher in the Rye by J .D . Salinger p

J .D . Salinger have written mostly short stories , but it is Catcher in the Rye , his only full-length novel ' that brought him worldwide acclaim and recognition (Natchez Phillips n .p . This coming-of-age novel is about a man named Holden Caulfield , who struggles between the absurdity of the adult world and comfort of childhood experiences (Natchez Phillips n .p . So why is Catcher in the Rye the story 's title ? How does it relate to the story ? The answer can be found within the text itself

In the 16th chapter of the novel , it is mentioned that Holden notices a man whose chose to walk on the street instead of the sidewalk (Natchez Phillips n .p . He was singing the song Comin ' Thro ' the Rye by Robert Burns (Natchez Phillips n .p . However , a more thorough reference to the song can be found in the 22nd chapter (Natchez Phillips n .p . It is in this chapter where the conversation between Holden and his younger sister Phoebe occurred , and when the phrase catcher in the rye was discussed . Phoebe asked Holden what he wanted to do with his life , and Holden took his answer from the Burns song (Natchez Phillips n .p Holden thought the lyric of the song is if a body catch a body , coming through the rye (qtd . in Natchez Phillips n .p . He told Phoebe he wanted to be a catcher in the rye , as he envisioned in his mind children playing in a rye field on a cliff (Natchez Phillips n .p . He said he wanted to be the catcher of the children , so that he could prevent them from falling from the cliff . As spoken by Holden in Chapter 22 Salinger writes

I 'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff . What I have to do , I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they 're running and they don 't look where they 're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them . That 's all I 'd do all day . I 'd just be the catcher in the rye and all (qtd . in Natchez Phillips n .p

However , Holden was mistaken , and the real lyric is if a body meet a body , coming through the rye (qtd . in Natchez Phillips n .p theless , it is from this slight mistake where the symbolism of the title can be derived . Holden 's aspirations...