One of the most symbolic phrases in The Catcher in the Rye, is the name of the book itself, Holden recalls this song in several points in his story. It is first mentioned to us in chapter sixteen, however the importance of the song is further explored in chapter twenty-two. While Holden is catching up with Phoebe, she exclaims her displeasure of Holden failing out of another school. She prompts him to “Name one thing [he likes]” (Salinger 187). This proceeds to Holden telling Phoebe about what he would like to do with his life; catching people in a field of rye. He describes it as “hav[ing] to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff” (Salinger 191). This plays into Holden’s complex personality since he doesn’t generally like people
