What is the meaning of the title of "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger?

Question

where does the title come from and what does it mean?

Answer 1

Holden finally decides to surreptitiously return home to see his younger sister Phoebe. During a short conversation with her Holden reveals the meaning of the novel's title: The "Catcher in the Rye" idea is based on a misreading of a line in the song "Comin' Thro' the Rye," [2] by Robert Burns, which Holden heard a young boy singing. The young boy mistakenly substituted "When a body catch a body, comin' thro' the rye" for "When a body meet a body, comin' thro' the rye."

Holden imagines children playing a game in a field of rye near a cliff, and it is his role to protect the children by catching anyone who comes too near to the edge. Such a job, he says, would make him truly happy. Holden tells Phoebe he has always wanted to be a Catcher in the Rye (symbolically, a rescuer of children). Holden tells her his plan to run away, to live far away from everybody, and Phoebe offers him her Christmas money. Holden flees the house when his parents arrive home.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye

Answer 2

Novel's protagonist, Holden Caulfield,finally decides to surreptitiously return home to see his younger sister Phoebe. During a short conversation with her Holden reveals the meaning of the novel's title: The "Catcher in the Rye" idea is based on a misreading of a line in the song "Comin' Thro' the Rye," [2] by Robert Burns, which Holden heard a young boy singing. The young boy mistakenly substituted "When a body catch a body, comin' thro' the rye" for "When a body meet a body, comin' thro' the rye."

Holden imagines children playing a game in a field of rye near a cliff, and it is his role to protect the children by catching anyone who comes too near to the edge. Such a job, he says, would make him truly happy. Holden tells Phoebe he has always wanted to be a Catcher in the Rye (symbolically, a rescuer of children)

Answer 3

Holden does not want the children to grow up into phony adulthood. So, Holden is catching the kids to make sure that they don't climb out of the rye into adulthood. Holden wants the children to stay the way they are and never grow. So Holden is the catcher and the Rye stands for Holden trying to keep the kids to stay the way they are and dont grow up into phonyhood. I hope that this helps you, if not I am sorry.

Answer 4

Nothing reveals his image of these two worlds better than his fantasy about the catcher in the rye: he imagines childhood as an idyllic field of rye in which children romp and play; adulthood, for the children of this world, is equivalent to death—a fatal fall over the edge of a cliff. His created understandings of childhood and adulthood allow Holden to cut himself off from the world by covering himself with a protective armor of cynicism. But as the book progresses, Holden’s experiences, particularly his encounters with Mr. Antolini and Phoebe, reveal the shallowness of his conceptions.

Answer 5

It refers towards the last part of the book where he (the main character/narrarator) discusses seeing himself standing near a cliff in the field of rye and catching children who are running toward him, and he saves them from falling off.

That imagery can be interpreted pretty much any way you want.

Answer 6

Two words: Cliff Notes
Explains alot.

Answer 7

You gotta read the book. Absent that, these folks say it better than I ever could.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catcher_in_the_rye.

Ideally, read the article, then the book, then the article again.