Holden’s “Rye”from the Perspective of Symbolism

The Catcher in the Rye, as the representative work of American writer Jerome David Salinger, has won wide praise for its unique artistic charm and profound theme connotation since its publication in 1951. The novel is famous not only for its delicate depiction of the plight of teenagers, but also for its rich symbolism, presenting readers with a thumbnail picture of the material and spiritual life of ordinary Americans in the alienated society after World War II. Based on Yimin Luo and Xi Wang’s research on “rye field” and “Heterotopia” and combined with the great Gatsby and the Beaten Generation of relevant case analysis, this paper will shed a new light on the image symbolized by “rye field”, the core image of this book.