The Catcher In The Rye

A detailed Summary of The Catcher In The Rye


THE CATCHER IN THE RYE The title of the novel The Catcher In The Rye, by JD

Salinger, has a substantial connection to the story. This title greatly explains the main

character, Holden Caulfield, and his feelings towards life and human nature. In society he

has found enormous corruption, vulgarity, harm and havoc. He knows that the children of

the world are ruined by the corruption of adults around them and, he states later in the

novel, his new purpose in life will be to help save the children from this vulgarity. Holden

wants to be a "Catcher in the Rye." We first hear the title of the novel being used in

chapter 16, and in chapter 22 we have the full explanation of this title. Human dignity is

vital to Holden's existence and the only way to guarantee this on a long term basis is to

assist children in maintaining their innocence from the dangers of adulthood. In chapter 16

we have the first reference to the meaning of the novel's title, The Catcher in the Rye.

Holden hears a little boy singing to himself a verse which makes Holden very happy: "If a

body catch a body coming through the rye," (Page 115). It is difficult to understand why

Holden is made happy by the little boy's singing unless one has an idea of what


whole time he kept singing and humming." (Page 115). Holden notes that the child's

perceived adulthood as a fallen condition characterized by evil, falsity and betrayal and so

beneficiary of his good deeds would be society at large, not Holden Caulfield. He sees

nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some

parents pay no attention to him. To Holden this child represents innocence and youth

risks must be taken if one is to grow : "The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the



Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 871
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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