The term 'The CATCHER in the Rye' is a novel written by J.D. Salinger and published in 1951. It follows the story of Holden Caulfield, a teenager who has been expelled from school and is struggling to find his place in the world. The title of the novel comes from a line in a poem by Robert Burns, which reads 'If a body catch a body comin' through the rye'. This line is interpreted as Holden's desire to protect children from the harshness of the adult world.