is; I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. And Im standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff. Id just be the catcher in the rye and all (Salinger 173). He wants to save all these young and innocent kids from falling off the cliff. To Holden, the cliff symbolizes adulthood and becoming tainted by society. He catches them from their downfall because he wants them to stay innocent, and not fall off like others he knows. He wishes he were there to catch his brother Allie, D.B. or James Castle from falling off the cliff. They all fell off and were ruined by the fall, society. To make up for it he wishes he could catch these kids from falling off the cliff. The last symbol that represents Holdens view is the carousel and its affect on Holden. The carousel is suppose to represent life and Phoebe is on it going around in circles or going through life. The carousel might be a childs ride but to Holden, it is realizing Phoebe is growing up. Holden says, I was sort of afraid shed fall off the goddam horse, but I didnt say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but its bad if you say anything to them (Salinger 211). In this quote, Holden shows how his views change on protecting Phoebe. Holden does not go on the carousel with Phoebe because he realizes that her going around grabbing for the gold ring symbolizes her going through life and he has to let her go by herself. When he talks about her falling off the horse, he learns that he can not protect her forever. He has to let her do it by herself and go on with life. He knows that you cannot say anything to her when she falls because she has to live and learn. The symbol of the carousel like the other two shows he wants to protect Phoebe, b...
