The Catcher in the Rye has been layered in many parts. The book has constant use of words like ‘phoney’ and ‘horsing around’ which is appropriate to the vocabulary of a 16-year old. The narrative vocabulary of the book might not seem extraordinary, but JD Salinger has made sure to keep his character as realistic as possible and has kept his vocabulary to what a 16-year old could have and use. Holden, a 16-year old teenager, the narrator and protagonist of the book tells about his adventures before the previous Christmas. The Catcher in the Rye is a two-day into Holden’s life. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules.” Whereas to the contrary, Holden was as carefree as the wind when it came to rules because he was so absorbed to understand himself and the “phoniness” of the world. The beauty of the expression is that Holden was never able to say a good-bye to his childhood so he wanted a good-by in everything he did no matter what it was.Īnother beguiling group of words that hit the mark, that the entire book is metaphorical in nature came when Holden’s teacher told him, “Life is a game, boy. I don’t care if it’s a sad good-by or a bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to know I’m leaving it. I mean I’ve left schools and places I didn’t even know I was leaving them. “What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of a good-by. One very consequential metaphor arose between the pages of the book when JD Salinger wrote Holden Caulfield’s name in itself is a metaphor, his first name could be split into ‘hold on’ and Caulfield again could be split into ‘caul- protective covering’ and ‘field- here it is childhood’ so, holding on the protective covering of the innocence of a child is what ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ is all about.
The Catcher in the Rye is a continuous struggle and dilemma of the main character, Holden Caulfield, to preserve the very nature of childhood innocence before it is touched by the malicious hands of adulthood. The interpretation of the title could be many, but one that makes sense if you read the book, we will discuss here. The name of the book ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ is the first layer that needs to be deciphered.
From the name of the book to the name of the protagonist in the book, everything has a subtle metaphor.
Cover to Coverįrom cover to cover the book ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ presents a realistic metaphor. Well, then you might be the Holden Caulfield from JD Salinger’s ‘The Catcher in the Rye’. Have you ever felt like, despite the niceness, people are fake ‘phoney’? Despite you having everything, you still have nothing? Do you think you have lost your innocence?
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