catcher in the rye
... Holden, who sees himself as the catcher in the rye, has made it his number one goal to protect others, even those he doesn’t care for, from the harshness of reality. ... Chapter 14: The fourteenth chapter marks another major turning point for young Holden as he and the reader learn more fully his role as a catcher in the rye. ... " On the walk, Holden passes a small child walking near him and whistling the tune for which the novel is named: "if a body catch a body coming through the rye. ... Holden really can’t stand this (this makes sense since he sees himself as a catcher in the rye— someone who protects small children) and characterizes the woman by saying, "She was about as kindhearted as goddam wolf. ... Finally when asked what he wants to be, Holden says that he wants to be a catcher in the rye. He describes an elaborate fantasy where he is standing on the edge of a cliff in a rye field and his sole job is to keep the kids who are playing from falling over the cliff. ... This marks a progression in Holden’s growth as a person and especially as a catcher in the rye. ... Now he is really becoming a catcher in the rye. ... Instead he goes to the zoo with Phoebe and the scene ends with her riding on the carousel alone while Holden watches her, again acting as a catcher in the rye. ... This just proves for the last time that Holden has become a true catcher in the rye— someone who wants to protect everyone, no matter whether he is good or evil. ... Character Profiles Holden: narrator and main character; adolescent young boy, age sixteen, who searches for people and things which aren’t phony; envisions himself as a "catcher in the rye" who saves small children from death; throughout the story Holden attempts to preserve the innocence and genuineness of life, though his mental sickness prevents him from separating good from evil. ... Metaphor Analysis Holden’s hunting hat: represents Holden’s isolation from society; he loves this hat because it symbolizes his independence from others; the hat, like Holden, is out of place in such a big city as New York; Holden sees himself as the catcher in the rye when he wears this hat; he tries to articulate this when he says to Ackley, "I shoot people in this hat. ... As the story progresses, Holden becomes more and more attached to his hat, demonstrating his growing commitment to his fantasy of being the catcher in the rye. ... Salinger presents an image of an atypical adolescent boy in The Catcher in the Rye. ... This growth contributes to Holden’s fantasy of being a catcher in the rye. ... I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. ... He is still unable to differentiate between good and evil people and like a true catcher in the rye, tries to absorb everything and everyone into his base of experience.