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Essay about The Catcher in the Rye Should be Included in the Curriculum

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For many years people have argued about the inclusion of The Cather in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger in the high school english curriculum. This is such due to the inappropriate and adult oriented themes within If considered, many times within the novel the main character will face situations in which that the negative and vulgar themes will blossom into something meaningful that the reader can benefit from as a person and as a student. While the vulgarity and adult themes in The Catcher in the Rye are indeed inappropriate for adolescent students, ultimately its underlying themes of self discovery and possessing moral values provides life and ethical lessons that can be applied in the classroom as well as on a daily basis and therefore, the …show more content…

Likewise, the novel teaches good themes by providing juxtaposition between good themes and bad themes in such a way that the reader can relate to it. For instance, in the novel, Holden is with Sunny, a young prostitute in his hotel room. But prior to engaging in any sexual activity, Holden realizes that what he is doing is wrong and he shouldn’t be doing something like this. As Holden says, “I sat down…and offered her a cigarette…I felt much more depressed than sexy…Honest to God, I’ll pay you and all, but do you mind very much if we don’t do it?” (Salinger, 123-125) Although not all teenagers smoke, chances are an ordinary teenager would at least know someone who does, and most likely does it to relieve depression, just like Holden and that way the reader can relate to the novel’s themes. And just like any teenager would, they would try to carry out the situation smoothly and calmly, which shows how the reader can relate to the novel’s themes because any teenager in a similar situation would do what Holden did. While people may argue that people shouldn’t be exposed to adult and inappropriate themes, people do need to be exposed to it to

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