Blog #47: The Catcher in the Rye

Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye did not want to be a lawyer, a doctor, a firefighter, a cowboy, or even an astronaut when he grew up. He wanted to become something unheard of! He wanted to be the catcher in the rye, hence the title of the book. He snuck into his house one night and went to talk to his little sister, Phoebe. She was angry at him for being expelled from his fourth school, and also afraid of what might happen to him. She eventually asks him what he wants to be when he grows up. He really does not directly answer right away. He finally says that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. “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 (Salinger 224).” This is what Holden finally told Phoebe. He basically tells her what he wants to do with his life. He was to protect all the children. He wants to keep their innocence. He never wants them to grow up. That is what the cliff symbolizes. It shows the drop from childhood and innocence to adulthood and phoniness. This really does make sense though. Once you turn about eighteen, you are considered an adult. Holden is seventeen, so I think he is kind of scared. So I feel that even if he does get older, as long as he is the catcher in the rye, he will be able to save all of the other children. That is actually quite admirable. It is a little different, but still admirable. I feel that Holden has Phoebe in mind when he tells her his career choice. I really like the idea of the catcher in the rye!

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Back Bay, 2001. Print.