The catcher in the rye is the character in the song that goes through Holdens mind. The catcher stands in a field of rye and catches children just before they fall off the cliff. The catcher rescues them and sends them back to play, he just stands there all day and catches children. The reason Salinger named the book that is because that is how Holden sees himself. The metaphor of the "catcher" is what he wants to be. The only people Holden (and Salinger too from what I've read about him) Really relate to and have any respect for are children. Holden sees himself as having fallen off that cliff - fallen into pre-adulthood,fallen into an understanding of the world that is very different that what he experienced as a child. Certain events in his life (i.e. the death of his brother, and cruelty from schoolmates) have made him want to protect the reality of world from children who are still enjoying life in @!#$ land or in their imaginations. To Holden, adulthood robbed him of that and he wishes to protect children from falling into the abyss and the realization that people are "phonies". Holden wants to be the "Catcher in the Rye" because Holden needed his own catcher - and no one showed up.
source: http://hatteraslight.com/navy/JDSalingerhall/read.php?f=6&i=170&t=168

đọc xong, si nghĩ, mới nghiệm ra vì sao mình khoái 9x [-(