The Catcher in the Rye

The song the child sings, when Holden thinks he hears the line “catch a body coming through the rye” (150), comes from the Robert Burns poem “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye” (1782). Holden imagines a field of rye with children running through it. He tells Phoebe that he would save the children from plummeting off a cliff, which represents The Desire to Preserve Childhood Innocence; Holden idealizes the innocence of children and wishes to protect them from becoming corrupted by the world. Holden has misheard the line, which is actually “when a body meet a body coming through the rye.” Experts often interpret the poem as having sexual connotations, and Holden’s understanding of it as a symbol of innocence contrasts starkly with the poem’s actual meaning. This detail fits Holden’s disinterest in the reality of the world—he often lies to other characters in the novel, creating a reality that suits him, and he refuses to participate in anything that doesn’t interest him.

Holden has just purchased a red hunting hat, which is not a typical or fashionable choice for an upper-class teenager like Holden. As he moves through the events of the novel, the hat comes to represent Holden’s attempt to assert his individuality, and he often puts it on or fidgets with it in moments when he is self-conscious.