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Should The Catcher In The Rye Be Banned

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Recommended: Censorship in schools

In just the 2021-2022 school year, over 1,600 books were censored and banned by over 5,000 schools in the United States (NBC News). The Catcher in the Rye is seen by many as a classic because of its timeless message and deals with many issues that young adults can relate to. However, for many years, The Catcher in the Rye has been under attack by many individuals who feel that the book contains inappropriate issues that should not be dealt with in a high school novel. These issues include, evident sexism, substance abuse, and excessive mature language. Despite these issues, The Catcher in the Rye should stay in high school curriculums because it shows the harsh realities of sexism, substance abuse and overcoming depression, and excessive profanity. …show more content…

Holden’s comments and thoughts have led to many pushing for The Catcher in the Rye, to be banned from high schools. However, the novel should not be censored because it shows the true realities of sexism and can be used to help make change for the future. By censoring the book, people would be hiding the truth on sexism. The novel should stay in high school curriculums because the issues with sexism are timeless and can be connected to the present. The novel can help shed light upon the harsh treatment that women have had to endure for all of history and continue to struggle with today. Another example of sexist behavior in the novel is shown through Stradlater’s “seductive tactics.” After finding out Stradlater went on a date …show more content…

Whilst telling Sally his dreams of moving away, Holden’s foul language takes over his vocabulary. “I was getting excited as hell, the more I thought about it, and I sort of reached out and took old Sally’s goddamn hand. What a goddamn fool I was” (Salinger 146). There is no debating the fact that Holden has a very repetitive vocabulary which often consists of mature language. In fact, people who have attacked the novel, saying that it should be removed from high school curriculums, have counted that he says the word, “goddamn” over 90 times. However, it is important to remember that Holden is still young and is struggling with growing up. While it may be out of date, his limited vocabulary may be something that teens in high school can relate to. On top of this, Salinger shows the negative side of Holden’s foul language, showing that he is not encouraging his proganist’s behavior. For example, whilst telling Sally his ideas about moving west, she says she isn’t so sure about his idea. Holden’s foul language took over and he called her, “a pain in his ass” which led to his date being ruined and him becoming more depressed that night. Additionally, Holden also shows that he has some sort of standards when it comes to foul language, whilst at his old school. Whilst dropping off a note to Phoebe, Holden sees the words, “Fuck you” on the wall. “You may think there

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423 Words | 2 Pages

Lastly he points out how banning this book will not protect children from everywhere else they can learn about the “cons” of the book in a different environment. Blei’s view on the topic of banning opens one's eyes to the reality of how information about profanities and other obscenities can be transferred to teenagers in ways that may pose a bigger danger than a book. He ties it to Catcher by stating that the book has been thoroughly inspected over the years, so all the themes and messages of the book have been revealed, so there is nothing to hide from parents and teachers. The point of the book has been made clear, and it is a just one, so hiding this book from children is having the opposite effect from what the people banning it want. Catcher in the Rye is a book about a teenager discovering himself, and shouldn’t be censored as it can be very useful and insightful for teenagers or people of the right mental capacity, as to appreciate the book.

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522 Words | 3 Pages

Levitt and Dubner style adds an extra effect to the book. Through multiple rhetorical strategies, the authors are able to create friendly, but persuasive writing style. The authors really used the pathos, logos, and ethos strategy when creating Freakonomics. The pathos appeal was mostly done through humor.

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1050 Words | 5 Pages

For instance in the story Holden says “It looked pretty as hell, and we all started throwing snowballs and horsing around all over the place. It was very childish, but everybody was really enjoying themselves. ”(Salinger PDF 23). Throughout the story, Holden does very childish things. He made people act negatively, rudely, and immaturely.

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257 Words | 2 Pages

Through the novel, the Catcher in the Rye, readers learns about the personality of the book’s main character, Holden Caulfield, specifically through his language. One thing we learn about Holden’s personality is that he is lonely and desperately wants to fit in. We learn this about him through his use of profanity throughout the book like when he says, “No, but I don’t want you stretching it with your goddam shoulders and all.” Holden is casually talking to Stradlater in this quote. In this case, he casually uses profanity to make himself seem cooler and like he can fit in.

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761 Words | 4 Pages

This shows how holden is really neurotic. Holden takes this girl, Sally, out on a date. When Holden starts ranting about life, and Sally tries to defend things like college, Holden gets mad and frustrated at Sally, and ends up calling her a pain in the ass. In the past, cursing at a girl was unheard of, and for some who, throughout the book was a smooth talker, this shows how Holden’s behavior can be really erratic and unusual.

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768 Words | 4 Pages

The book sheds a tear as it is banned by administration for students to read. The Catcher in the Rye should not be banned for summer reading for incoming sophomores because of its “explicit” content. After high school, out in the real world, life experiences are not censored or banned to protect you. You must experience life and all that comes with it.

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891 Words | 4 Pages

In 1951 J.D. Salinger’s book, The Catcher In The Rye rocketed to Number 1 on the New York Times best-seller list. Over the course of three days, the novel delves into the life of a troubled teenager undergoing the loss of a family member. Considered one of the most disputed books, the novel exhibits vulgar language, irreverent behavior, sexual references, and subversion to both family principles and moral values. Regardless, in the June Edwards article “The Censorship in Schools” Holden Caulfield’s troubling behavior is justified. She states that his mistakes are not a fair representation of him and should not be used to counter the book’s message.

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718 Words | 3 Pages

In more depth, this quotes shows his need to save children like his sister phoebe or his dead brother Allie from losing their childhood innocence and becoming adults which he believes are all phonies. In reality, Holden is one person so he can not be the catcher in the rye; despite that he keeps trying to be till he reaches a loin where he is truly lost in touch with reality and blinded. He does however realize that in the back of his mind, which is what leads him on such a destructive path of competing with himself constantly on meeting the idea he believes he is. He does this by drinking, smoking, becoming involved in fights and even attempting to have meaninglessness sexual encounters. However in the end he comes to the realization that he can not be the catcher in the rye despite what he’s done, and what triggers this realization for him is when he sees the word “Fuck you” on the walls of phoebe’s school.

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1268 Words | 6 Pages

but the book has also sparked wild discussions about its content and if it should be taught in schools across the country. Although The Catcher In The Rye presents strong sexual themes and vulgar language, these aspects showcase the characters ' deepest emotions while staying true to the human experience and the power of language. The very same issues that cause the catcher in the rye to climb the banned book list, sexual themes and vulgar language, are exactly the things that make this piece worth teaching in high school curriculums, as they show readers the truest

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1077 Words | 5 Pages

Holden is a very judgemental and immature character and often has vulgar language. Holden often criticizes everyone he comes in contact with and does not try to comprehend the mindset they may have. His childish nature and vocabulary are what make most of his comments laughable. “It was funny. You could tell the waiter didn’t like her much, you could tell even the Navy guy didn’t like her much, even though he was dating her.

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600 Words | 3 Pages

While visiting Phoebe’s school, he notices profanity written on the wall. Trying to remove them, he comes to the realization that “If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the “f**k you” signs in the world. It's impossible” (Salinger 202). Holden knows a child’s innocence is gone when exposed to such obscenities. He finally accepts that he is not capable of preventing the corruption of others.

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2150 Words | 9 Pages

Holden thinks that most everything is about him in a childish sense. When he sees vulgar words written on walls, he believes that they are aimed at him somehow and thinks that the entire adult world doesn’t accept him. The F you written on the wall is a statement made more towards society and not to one specific person, especially Holden. However, he takes this “F you” very personally and lets it affect his behavior. He backs away from the adult life and thinks about the amazing relationships he has when he was a child.

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1436 Words | 6 Pages

What a deal that was. You never saw so many phonies in all your life, everybody smoking their ears off and talking about the play so that everybody could hear and know how sharp they were (Salinger 98). Instead of talking about the play and appreciating the play, Holden judges the people who surrounded him outside the theater. This suggests his immaturity by making fun of people who are just trying to live

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1615 Words | 7 Pages

When Holden sees him he has nothing bad things to say about him. He says to Sally “‘Why don’t you go on over and give him a big soul kiss, if you know him? He’ll enjoy it. She got sore when I said that’” (Salinger 141).

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837 Words | 4 Pages

The success of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, established the idea that women could be successful in fields dominated by men, such as writing. Mary Shelley’s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, had been an advocate for women’s rights while she had been alive, and the idea that women could compete and surpass men in their own field continued that work, establishing respect for women as writers. The novel also helped to create the genre known as science fiction, as it was the first widely successful novel that showcase the genre’s themes, and as such, was influential in the writing of countless other writers, who mimicked the themes present in the novel. Without Mary Shelley’s influence in the field of writing, science

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