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Catcher In The Rye Censorship Essay

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Introduction Throughout the history of arts and literature, censorship has been a widely-debated topic, often evoking controversies. It is a universally acknowledged fact that art is subjective. What one person considers heavenly can be an absolute hell for another. It is, therefore, difficult to delicately handle the strings of the sensitive matter without creating certain friends and certain foes. Although the ultimate motto must be kept in mind- “art for art’s sake”. Since its first publication in 1951, “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger has been named amongst the highly controversial yet widely beloved works of art. Despite being banned in classrooms and libraries across the world, “The Catcher in the Rye” has been crowned as one of the finest pieces of literature of all times. …show more content…

Their art is not merely art; it’s a cause- to deliver to the world in written all that could not be spoken. If artists start to censor themselves, their thoughts, ideas, understanding, their truths, their will, and all of their being for the sake of offending no one, true art would cease to exist altogether. Obnoxious language usage. Alcohol abuse. Brazen sexual references. Deceitful conduct. Blasphemy. Angst. A wholesome blend of these elements were bound to create a tsunami of controversy, yet they and so much more can be found in between the pages of J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye”, a 1951 literary classic Despite being a constant threat in the eyes of the censor board, J.D. Salinger never let his quill shiver from being a spokesperson of his thoughts. “If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.” Benjamin Franklin, Apology for Printers

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What would happen to the world if kids of any age were able to watch any movie, listen to any song, and create any art they wanted? Well for starters, that would never happen, but that would be complete freedom, right? Artists, just like regular people, have their own individual opinions, but unlike regular people, some artist face censorship when expressing their ideas. In Artistic Freedom, Holden, the main character of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, originally feels that art should be censored because it could be considered harmful to children’s mindsets.

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Catcher in the Rye A. Introduction The Catcher in the Rye by: J. D. Salinger was banned for a reason. Many felt that the books language was a little to colorful, but others loved it with all their heart. The people that hated said book, challenged the book and got it banned. But from what I 've read this is a battle over a book, one that has lasted five or six generations.

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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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