How does the motif of falling apply to Holden?Holden mentions about being the Catcher in the rye but how does Holden himself "fall" from the cliff.

In The Catcher in the Rye, "falling" or
"The Fall" is an allusion to the "Fall of Mankind" in the Genesis "Garden of Eden" story. There,
Adam and Eve partake of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Some people interpret this
as having carnal relations.  Regardless, their fall introduced humanity to sin, shame, guilt, and
a state of "falleness" (separation from God, the supreme authority
figure).

So it is for Holden,
who is in a state of "falleness" from authority the entire book: he
is separated from his parents, his school and teachers.  Moreover, he is separated from his
brother, sister, Jane, "friends," and even himself. Unlike Adam and Eve, who were exiled by God
from paradise, Holden exiles himself after his fall from a corrupt
society: he intentionally flunks out of school and runs away from
home.

The title of the book refers to
Holden wanting to be a "catcher in the rye" who rescues children
from falling off a cliff.  As such, he wants to be a teenage savior to children, preventing them
from falling into the corrupt adult world as teenagers.  He also wants to save them from death:
Holden suffers from survivor's guilt over his brother's (Allie)
death.  In general, though, he wants to rescue kids from the adult worlds of materialism, sex,
and hypocrisy (phoniness).  In a Holden's perfect world, children would forever remain
innocent, un-fallen and free of guilt, shame, and sin.  In effect, he wants them and
himself to stay like Allie--forever frozen in time.

Mr.
Antollini himself tries to save Holden from falling.  He says Holden is “in for a
terrible fall.”  His advice is:

readability="7">

"The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die
nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for
one."

Mr. Antollini was the one who
found James Castle (initials "J. C." for Jesus Christ--a martyr), who is Holden's romantic hero,
after his fall.  Antollini could not save James Castle from falling (jumping; suicide) from his
window, but he did cover him up to prevent the rubberneckers from laughing at his dead
body.

Antollini (critically believed to be the voice of Salinger)
believes that Holden too is headed for the same fall as Castle
(suicide).  His advice quoted above suggests that he himself lives humbly for a
cause, instead of dying for one.  Holden's cause is demonstrated by the entire novel itself.  The
novel serves as a kind of "catcher in the rye" because it attempts to steer its readers away from
falling from the dangerous cliffs of the corrupt adult world.