This is especially true when he mentions how he wants to be the Catcher in the Rye, where he will “have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff-I mean they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them,” (173) therefore preventing them from falling off of the cliff. While his proposal would be preposterous, Salinger instead uses Holden’s interpretation of the poem to change the message of the poem from not spreading rumors and gossip to preventing a child from losing his/her innocence when they go over the cliff because of the child not seeing the edge of the cliff. He also sees Phoebe and wants to prevent what happens to him from happening to her by attempting to prevent her from losing her innocence. Salinger shows Holden’s insecurities through Holden’s interpretation of the poem in order to show how Holden becomes
This is especially true when he mentions how he wants to be the Catcher in the Rye, where he will “have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff-I mean they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them,” (173) therefore preventing them from falling off of the cliff. While his proposal would be preposterous, Salinger instead uses Holden’s interpretation of the poem to change the message of the poem from not spreading rumors and gossip to preventing a child from losing his/her innocence when they go over the cliff because of the child not seeing the edge of the cliff. He also sees Phoebe and wants to prevent what happens to him from happening to her by attempting to prevent her from losing her innocence. Salinger shows Holden’s insecurities through Holden’s interpretation of the poem in order to show how Holden becomes