Reasons For Banning The Catcher In The Rye

If I was the librarian, I would not get rid of (or censor) any of the books, excluding “Catcher in the Rye.”

There are people who would like to see The Catcher in the Rye banned from our schools because it contains disturbing issues. In my opinion they are overlooking the message that J.D. Salinger was trying to communicate. In this novel, the characters exhibit a wide scope of behaviors from honorable to ignominious. The novel presents issues such as respect for religion, or lack thereof. As though these issues were not enough by themselves, there is also the subject of intolerance of others. How, may you ask, should this novel be allowed in our schools? Well, the answer lies deep within the symbolism of the novel,

The Catcher in the Rye is a novel about a teen/adult named Holden Caulfield that took place in the 1950’s in New York which is the perfect setting for a kid to become an adult because of its size, but Holden Caulfield was telling the story in a mental hospital in California. Throughout the novel Holden is transitioning from a kid to an adult and he takes us along with him to experience what it is like to become an adult. Due to the fact that Holden is maturing, J.D. Salinger, the author of the Catcher in the Rye, decides it is appropriate to disregard censorship and so the book contains a lot of vulgar and inappropriate scenes. J.D. Salinger published the Catcher in the Rye and about ten years

Should The Catcher in the Rye be banned from being taught at high schools? J.D. Salinger wrote this novel about a 16-year-old named Holden Caulfield. Holden is your not so average teenager. He is more of a “woe is me” kind of teenager. Holden has two siblings and one dead sibling He goes to expensive private schools, but flunks out of them because he doesn’t apply himself. The main part in this book is when Holden takes a three day vacation in New York City to get away from Pencey Prep and to let his parents cool off after they get their letter about Holden flunking out of Pencey. The vacation is only three days long, but seems to be a lot longer than three days. There are a lot of places in this book that are extremely controversial.

1. Historically, for what reasons have people objected to this book?   Many school administration have banned books like 'Catcher and the Rye' because of the contance of the book. Some reason why 'Catcher and the Rye' was banned of the "vulgar language, sexual scenes, things concerning moral issues" (Times 1). But to be more specific, a town in Columbus, Ohio banned the book from library and schools because it's anti-white (Time 1).

Whitfield’s extensive study of Catcher's banning history offers a variety of information on what grounds the book was banned upon and later defends the book. Catcher is easily one of the most frequently banned books in America, and has become a controversial topic due to receiving such flack. Whitfield even goes so far as to uncover that “Category 43 ('Trash') included The Catcher in the Rye," (Whitfield). He uses this to argue that the book was banned for silly or inadequate reasons, being placed in a demeaning literary category and banned. To further his point, Stephen claims that since the book was so openly disputed, most critiques revealed that they had never even read the book. Additionally, Stephen criticized another book of the time

Holden steadily swears throughout the book. Parents are concerned that their teenage children are reading such book. The bad language in the book consists of the repetitive use of “crap”, “hell”, “damn.” The most reoccurring curse words include “goddam” which is used over eighty nine times, “hell” occurring over sixty three times, and “damn” being used over thirty nine times. The “F-word” is also seen three or four times at the end of the

Since the publishing of the controversial book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, numerous parents have many different opinions towards this book, which have been exposed to high school students. Although this classic, literary realism and coming of age book is an exquisite read for young adults, many parents find it a terrible influence, horrible life lesson and too mature for the intended audience. Even though parents look beyond the theme of the book and focus on the way the author portrays it, this classical novel has definitely expressed the true life of most teenager’s. That is why parents try their hardest to challenge this book’s way of writing and who it is exposed towards. The Catcher and the Rye had introduced innumerable

If students do not read this book, then they too will be victims of speaking to people with this same exact disrespect. Lastly, when Holden is in his old school’s bathroom he sees the words “F*ck you” (205) inscribed on the wall in red crayon. Though Holden is infuriated with the fact that this was written in a place for children, if students do not read this book in school they may think that both vandalization and profanity are tolerable, when really, they both bring negativity into the world. In essence, though the profanity displayed in the book is a controversial topic for critics, it is evident that this book must continue to be taught in schools so that children know the difference between right and wrong.

Holden Caulfield, a boy who struggles with his mental health, starts his story by saying, “I’m not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything. I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas” (Salinger 3). Published in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger depicts a three-day journey of Holden as he tries to find out more about himself. Through his struggle, Holden experiences many obstacles and events, such as depression and profanity, that take place in most teenager’s lives, making the book a primary target for banning due to offensive language, suicidal tendencies, sexual content, violence, and outright negativity (Information). Though The Catcher in the Rye contains controversial topics, such as depression, vulgar language, and sexual discrimination, the novel is still relevant and relatable to teens today; therefore, the story should remain an option for students to read.

In Language and Literature, my class studied The Catcher in the Rye, a controversial novel by J.D. Salinger. During the interactive oral, my group discussed the cultural context surrounding the work and became aware that the book had an infamous history- it had been banned in many schools and libraries across America. Immoral statements, profanity of the language and discrimination topped the list of reasons for the ban. An interesting point that stirred my curiosity was how the novel has been implicated in the murder of John Lennon. The murderer, Mark David Chapman had been influenced greatly by the novel. He was arrested at the scene of the murder clutching a copy of The Catcher in the Rye – so I have decided to explore the implications of this event in the form of a newspaper article in the arts section of the New York Times published one week after this tragic event on 15th December, 1980. A journalist for the New York Times, Les Ledbetter broke the news on the front page on December 9th, 1980, the morning after the murder. I’ve taken on the persona of Les Ledbetter to promote a view that the book should have been banned with my goal being to convince the readers of the New York Times that this view needs

The Catcher in the Rye was published in 1951, and since its publication it has been considered by many to be controversial or inappropriate. As a result, it was banned numerous times in educational settings, and this continues to occur today. The main reasons for its reputation are the abundance of swearing and cursing, scenes involving sexual intercourse and prostitution, and underage drinking. These factors have led to the prohibition of this book being read for class as well as countless complaints from parents in schools that do allow it. However, society has undergone significant change since The Catcher in the Rye’s publication, rendering the majority of the points of controversy outdated and irrelevant.

Many people believe that The Catcher in the Rye should be banned in public schools because of foul language and its sexual themes. However, Holden is a teenage boy and as most teenagers do, they try to find out who they are and are often prone to using profane language. When talking to Mr. Spencer, Holden responds by saying “Boy!” and begins to think “I also say ‘Boy!’ quite a lot. Partly […] because I act quite young for my age sometimes. I was sixteen then, and I’m seventeen now, and sometimes I can like I’m about thirteen” (Salinger 11). Although many people think the book should be banned, Holden is just being a teenager and it gives teens an example of someone who they can relate to; the novel helps teens to realize that they are not alone and that there are other teens, fictional and otherwise, out there who they can, like

During one of their most impressionable stages of life, a connection with Holden's feelings can be invaluable for teenagers when they hit their lows. It’s not often that

The most valid argument supporting the banning of The Catcher in the Rye is the abundant usage of profanity. The novel is composed of a variety of negative language which helps define Holden’s character. Salinger uses multiple words with negative connotations such as: “lousy”, “bastard”, “sonuvabitch”, and “phony”. It is no surprise that “three of the top five words in The Catcher in the Rye – “goddam”, “hell” and “damn” – are curse words...” (Taylor). So, in a “perfect world” nobody should approve of this