The novel’s title, The Catcher in the Rye, is an allusion to Robert Burns’s poem, “Comin’ Thro the Rye”, which utilizes sexual imagery to suggest themes of adulthood. At first, the title appears cryptic and holds little meaning to the reader. However, later in the novel, Holden tells Phoebe that he dreams about thousands of children playing in a field of rye, while he stands near the cliff, ensuring that none of the children fall off. Throughout the novel, Holden expresses his contempt for adult world, which he believes corrupts and turns people into phonies, and as a result, his fantasy reflects his desire to be a hero. Ultimately, the “catcher in the rye” refers to Holden, as the one protecting and catching the falling children, and Salinger