"Catcher in the Rye": Holden Caulfield's dream job to be the Catcher in the Rye.

Holden's desire to be the 'Catcher in the Rye' comes from his realization, near the end of his horrible, nearly sleepless weekend of cigarettes, alcohol, phonies, and freaks, that he isn't ready and doesn't even want to be an adult. He also knows he is different from his sister, Phoebe, that he is no longer a child. He has seen too much reality to still be a child, even though he is only 16 in the …

…the rye, would be a perfect occupation for him. He wouldn't actually be catching children before they fall off a cliff, but he could be talking to troubled kids, like a psychoanalyst would, (like his friend Carl Luce's dad), or he could be a teacher, like Mr. Spencer. His love of ducks, children, his concern about everyone and their feelings, and his disgust for things phony and perverted, make him a perfect protector of children.