Why Is The Catcher In The Rye Banned

Holden depends on alcohol and cigarettes. According to A Teenagers Nutritional Needs, “Adolescents are hungry all the time… especially boys.” As Holden is an adolescent he should be eating most of the time but he doesn't. Holden mentions that he was supposed to be on a diet consisting of starches to gain weight but he isn't on the diet (Salinger 107). Since teenagers require more energy than adults they are encouraged to eat starch, Holden just depends on alcohol. He doesn't eat healthily and he is on the road to self destruction due to his overuse of alcohol. He's been in New York for quite some time now, but it is hardly stated that he eats, Holden drinks and smokes more than he eats food. Holden should be more aware of his health. He knows that he should be on a diet, he acknowledges that he is skinny (Salinger 107) but yet he refuses to eat. His decision to survive on alcohol may cost him his life if he isn't careful. He might collapse from the lack of nutrients in the body with no one around to make certain that he is okay. Holden is depressed due to past encounters he’s had and his depression causes him to lose his appetite which leads to bad decision making. Should Holden continues farther down this road to self- destruction, it will be difficult to get him back which will lead to his ultimate

References to sex, drugs, and alcohol are prevalent in the novel, as they play a significant role in the main character’s life. Holden uses drugs and alcohol as an escape from the problems he encounters while at Pencey and in New York, worsening as his depression and loneliness intensify. Aware of his issues, but refusing to acknowledge them, Holden reflects that “I sat at that goddamn bar till around 1 o’clock or so, getting drunk as a bastard. I could hardly see straight,” (Salinger 166). Holden also states that he “must've smoked around two packs since [he] left Pencey,” (Salinger 112). With the previous lessons upheld, exposure to the use of these products is not a substantial enough force that would drive teens to engage in said activities. Beginning at a young age, children learn in school how to say no to drug and alcohol use and what to do when faced with a situation in which they are available. Furthermore, older children learn how to be safe if engaging in sex through sex education classes in school; in fact, “23 percent of sex education in public schools” teach abstinence-only sex education (Livni). In The Catcher in the Rye, sexual references are limited and portrayed with a negative connotation when Holden says, “sex is something I really understand too hot,” (Salinger 70). Most of Holden’s acquaintances do not have the same ideology, showing readers that it is not degrading to go against societal normalities. Seeing how Holden handles situations with drugs,

The main reason was because the book mentioned discussions of being drunk, smoking cigarettes, profanity, and using God’s name in vain. Criticizer Diana Verm stated "The book had a bunch of very bad language in it. It shouldn’t be in there because it’s offending people.” Altom Verm also said "It's just all kinds of filth.” Just because you find “offensive” terms in the book, doesn’t mean it has to be barred from everybody. Alton Verm has stated he hasn’t read the book. (yourhoustonnews.com Kassia Meck) His only reason for wanting it to be banned is because he finds it “too offensive.” I find it nefarious that a book can be banned just because it doesn’t fit someone’s ideal opinion. The ALA states “The ALA promotes the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinions even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular” (ALA mission statement) This just goes to show that what you believe, shouldn’t have an impact on others. I don’t believe a book should be banned from a school district for those

Holden hates phonies, yet he partakes in their many interactions to fit into what he imagines all adult like. I agree with Holden’s view point, everyone has a facade they put on in order to make people see how funny they are, or how smart they are. The adults going out for cigarettes is a sign of maturity that Holden attempts to emulate, but to no avail his attempts are futile as he is forever on the cusp between polarizing ideas of both innocence and maturity.

Salinger wrote this novel in 1951, The Catcher In The Rye was published at a time when the burgeoning American industrial economy made the nation prosperous and entrenched social rules which were to be followed especially by the younger generations.Because Salinger used slang and profanity in his text and because he discussed adolescent sexuality in a complex and open way, many readers were offended, and this caused great controversy once the book was actually released. Holden rejects middle class norms and is very bulgar when referring to things. He faces alcoholism, and constantly smokes. Salinger did not censor himself as Holden Caulfield and the vulgarity itself was enough to challenge the book. Some schools have banned it for including sex and the abuse of drugs. Some people took what was being sad in the book too serious, and John Lennon was actually murdered because his killer believed he was a phony person. Although The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most controversial books ever written, it is still taught in many English classes all around the United States, including all IB schools. Loved by many teenagers and adults for its rebellious characteristics, It is banned for its profanity, sexual content, and violence by many schools from the 60’s to the present.Its Literary importance isn’t lowered and some schools still decide to keep it for that very

Many schools throughout the United States have banned The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger from their curriculums. There has been much debate on whether or not teachers should be able to include it as a part of their lesson, and if copies should be allowed in libraries. However, without a doubt, The Catcher in the Rye should be apart of schools’ curriculums for anyone above elementary school. There are very few inappropriate themes, banning the novel would be neglecting the First Amendment, and would also ignore a good chance for teens to relate to a character their age.

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,

Instead of dealing with his problems Holden drank. This negatively affects him. Instead of getting help with his emotions he would drink them away so he would feel less. Drinking is seen persistently throughout the novel. Some may think that Holden has a severe drinking problem, which he does. A majority of his money is spent on alcohol at the bars he goes to. Holden is a minor and it is illegal for him to drink (57). Holden feels as if he is older when he drinks and likes the feeling because he does not want to be seen as one of the “phony” guys that he often speaks about throughout the novel. One night he gets so drunk he just does not know what is going on. It feels good for him. It is often mentioned that Holden drank when he had nothing else to do. He would stay out late because he wasn’t tired and had nothing else to do, and he was lonely. Holden feels a need to be drunk whenever he is around the “jerky preps” (85). He says “I can’t sit in a corny place like this cold sober” (70). He feels as if they are phony and he is unlike them. He often feels like getting out of the bars, but doesn’t because he doesn’t want to leave to become lonely. “I felt like getting out of the place. It was too depressing” (80).

Holden's drinking and smoking habits are show throughout the book, his smoking habit was first told when he said “I have no wind if you want to know the truth. I’m quite a heavy smoker…(Salinger,5)” , another example of Holden being different from a normal teenager is his parents response to the drug, for example in chapter 23 when Holden's parents come home from seeing a movie Holden's little sister Phoebe has to explain why there was smoke in the room, through the smoke was caused by Holden, Phoebe takes the blame saying that she just wanted to try it, “Phobe, have you been smoking a cigarette in here? Tell me the truth, please, young lady.’ ‘What?’ old Phoebe said. ‘You heard me.’

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).

Controlling the knowledge that is available to students has been around as early as 339 B.C., when a famous Athenian philosopher, Socrates was forced to kill himself because he was teaching his students information that his society deemed inappropriate. Although the United States does not kill teachers for teaching students information that are found unsuited for kids’ adolescent minds, there is still controversy about the content of certain books, because of language, sexual references, age group, religious views, racism, and many more. One book that has been banned or challenged since it was published in 1951, is the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. The Catcher in the Rye is about a troubled and struggling 16-year-old, Holden Caulfield,

The Catcher in the Rye, a classic book written by JD Salinger, depicts the life of a troubled teenage boy named Holden Caulfield who recalls the events in his life that led up to where he is now. The Catcher in the Rye is considered to be one of the most controversial books in classic literature for dealing with such topics as profanity, teen sex, underage drinking, and immoral activity. I’m here to tell you today that these disputed topics are more beneficial for the development of teens than harmful.

The Catcher in the Rye was one of the top banned books from 1961 to 1982 (Seed 449-450). Even though the book was banned over the misinterpretation of the intentions of the book, it was one of the top. The adults who misunderstood the book and didn't know much about it were the people to be the ones to ban the book in court. There were negative comments about the novel from many people who didn’t understand the book or its message. People who didn’t even read the book had a problem with it like priests and ministers who made

The Catcher in the Rye features a multitude of examples in which Holden is overwhelmingly suicidal and represents undesirable viewpoints. At one point in the novel, Holden admits, “what I really felt like though, was committing suicide” (Salinger 116). His pessimistic attitude and outlook on life can have a negative effect on the reader. “[The book] has been banned on the lighter premises of using profanities and being sexually explicit/suggestive, while it has also been banned for darker interpretations of the book, such as being part of a Communist plot, anti-religious, and promotive of homosexuality and perversion” (Bohan). The supports for banning are prevalent throughout the book, with no doubt that they are factual reasons. Nevertheless, the literary value and representation of adolescents in any time period overwhelm the reasons for banning the book.

The historical context in The Catcher in the Rye reveals the book was written during a period of anguish. As stated by Daniel Burt, “…a prosperous postwar period that gave rise to suburban conformity and teenage angst,” (Burt 2). This quote states that what was going on in society at that time was how Holden was feeling. The feeling of teenage rebellion and depression were taking over his life and leading him to do immoral things. Based on the quote above, we can see how Holden created a cultural mordancy that his readers can easily detect, leading to the thought that this book was created under the impression of loss and a world gone wrong. Burt writes, “Salinger’s novel, observes Louis Menand, provides adolescents ‘with a layer of psychic insulation.’ Critic Harold Bloom speaks to the novel’s enduring influence when he states, ‘The Catcher in the Rye struck a nerve for one generation, but it seems to appeal to sensitive young people in later generations as well…’” (Burt 3). This quote states that the novel has created a huge impact on society and has left an image that the book can be quite insulting. Because of this, we can see that this book is not only a mockery of society but is unfit for teens to read. According to Hochman and Mueller, “Whether Holden’s sense of society and culture comes from rebelling against prep school, family, friends, teachers, maturation, and even death, his character continuously scrapes against the grain of societal pressures and