Catcher In The Rye: Poem Analysis

The title of the novel The Catcher in the Rye is based upon Holden’s mishearing of the poem Comin’ thro’ the Rye by Robert Burns. Holden’s misconception leads him to believe that the line “If a body meet a body comin’ thro’ the rye” is really “If a body catch a body comin’ thro’ the rye” which changes how he perceives its meaning. With his improper understanding of the poem, Holden believes it is about trying to stop children from growing older, which is quite different from its actual theme. His interpretation of the poem becomes clear when he states, “Thousand of little kids, and nobody’s around… I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff-” (173, Salinger). The cliff that Holden is trying to stop the children from falling …show more content…
At one point near the beginning of the novel, he states, “ When you’re pretty close to doing it with a girl… she keeps telling you to stop. The problem with me is, I stop,” (92, Salinger) which indicates his wish to have sex, but his inability to do so because he is unsure whether it is an acceptable act in which to take part. As the novel progresses, Holden meets a man in the elevator of the hotel that he’s staying at and the man asks him if he would like a prostitute for the night, Holden says that yes, he would. Despite his desire for the prostitute when she is offered to him, upon her arrival, Holden tells her that he is not feeling well and does not wish to have sex. As a result of Holden’s refusal to have sex, the reader can see that he is still having an internal conflict as to whether he should have take partin the act or not. In conclusion, the title The Catcher in the Rye represents the two great struggles that Holden deals with throughout the novel: his wish to remain young forever and his questioning on the morality of casual