Ayah IdrisM. ReinishEnglish 10 HN – 4th PeriodMarch 9, 2014FallingHolden Caulfield, the main character of JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, is a troubled teenager living in a society full of "phonies." Throughout the book, Holden tries to protect the children from losing their innocence, playing his role as the catcher of the rye. What Holden ends up learning is that growing up is necessary and that we all eventually fall. Salinger demonstrates the use of a physical description of falling, which leads to a metaphorical fall for Holden. Holden plays the role of catcher in the rye by physically catching the kids before they fall off the cliff, proving that we all fall eventually. Phoebe asks Holden what he wants to be, Holden replies, "If they're running and they don't watch where they're going, I have to come out from somewhere and catch them...I'll just be the rye catcher and all” (Salinger 173). before they fall as adults When children fall off the cliff, it's a bit like when we fall as adults, we fall without looking where we're going and without knowing what to expect. Not only does Holden become obsessed with preserving the children's innocence, but he also ends up having a nervous breakdown. Holden tells Phoebe, "I know it's crazy...I know it's crazy." (Salinger 173) Salinger's use of repetition therefore emphasizes the word crazy; Not only did Salinger's use of repetition foreshadow that Holden would go crazy, but so did Mr. Antolini....... middle of paper ...... ring he lets her take a risk and realizes that growing up is necessary and we all eventually fall. When Holden realizes this, he has a nervous breakdown and goes insane, ending up in a mental institution. Salinger's demonstration of the use of physical falls leads to a metaphorical downfall for Holden, his nervous breakdown which lands him in a mental institution. Salinger's demonstrations of these physical downfalls revolve around the role of Holden, the one who catches the rye, preventing children from losing their innocence and becoming impostors. This metaphorical fall for Holden was caused by his realization that growing up is necessary and that we all eventually fall. Holden realizes this through his role as catcher in Rye, Mr. Antolini, Sally and Phoebe. When transitioning to adulthood, we all lose our innocence, so we become imposters..