Whats the Rye Field Metaphor Really Getting At?
The first time I saw the Catcher in the Rye , I didn't really know what to make of the title and I sort of disregarded it as one of those book titles that really seems to have no meaning. But I changed my mind after reading chapter 16 of the novel, where the words subtly come up as Holden passes a young boy carelessly singing the "catcher in the rye" tune. The book doesn't make much of the moment, but Holden, in character, does admire the boy's genuineness as he happily sings the song with no regard for how others might perceive him. Watching the kid, he sees it as a true moment of innocence and bliss that gives him a much needed mood-lifter in the middle of his New York breakdown. The phrase goes away from the attention of the reader for a while but, as though the phrase has been planted in his mind ever since seing the kid, he brings up the phrase in response to Phoebe's question about what he plans to do with his life. Holden seems really adamant about