The world of adulthood or as the protagonist declares the world of phoniness is the place without a single gram of innocence. In The Catcher in the Rye”, by J.D Salinger, readers can perceive different significance about the title of the book, because of life experiences, culture, among others. J.D Salinger used the title of the novel to transmit the most important quality of Holden’s helpful persona toward kids by using an allusion to a Robert Burn’s poem, which reveals crucial information about the meaning of the title. The title The Catcher in the Rye is a symbol of the protagonist’s desire and dream to sustain the innocence of all kid.
There are many reasons why people in a society perceive different meaning of the significance of the novel The Catcher in the Rye. First one is the malicious interpretation of the book. Society acquires the unpleasant interpretation of this great book because of its obscene language, sexuality, and because it wasn’t appropriate for youth. Schools, libraries, and even families of teenager prohibited the kids reading this book because of those aspects. For example, “In my mind, I’m probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw”(34). Society in that era was strict about their kids’ future and learning; however, some people do not understand why the title of the book was The Catcher in the Rye. They related Holden as a delinquent but his rebellious personality is a little fragment of what he really is. The real Holden is the one the titles says he is The Catcher in the Rye the one who wanted to saved the kid’s innocence, a hero of youth.
In chapter sixteen when the kid sang the Robert Burn’s poem “If a body catch a body comin’ through the rye, “gives the first clue of where the title came from and some knowledge about it’s significance. The child inspired Holden to become the catcher in the rye. Holden was confused about the real meaning of the poem, so Phoebe