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 While it may be out of date, his limited vocabulary may be something that teens in high school can relate to.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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Throughout the novel, J.D. Salinger uses slang as a method of style to not only show the time period when this book was written, but also the intelligence of Holden and his accompanying characters. In chapter two, Holden’s slang is especially evident when describing Mr. Spencer and the way he lives his everyday life. This chapter also depicts Holden’s feelings about Mr. Spencer and shows that Mr. Spencer is the only known father figure around Holden at this time and Holden just continues to disappoint and push Mr. Spencer further away. The author uses this passage and passages like it to further develop the characterization of Holden and show how he views the world and its inhabitants. This style is evident in the paragraph “They each had
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.
Holden stated, “While I was sitting down, I saw something that drove me crazy. Somebody’d written “F*** you” on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and how they’d wonder what the hell it mean, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them-all cockeyed, naturally- what it meant, and how they’d think about it and maybe even worry about it for a couple days”(Salinger 221). Holden is mad because just when he thought that he was doing a great job at preserving a childhood innocence this one thing just had to jump out and ruin his entire operation.
“I don't like that, Phoebe, I don't like that at all” (Salinger 196). Salinger includes this encounter to show that the family is not caring and the mother barely cares about the possible bad habit of smoking. This displays Holden’s failure to take action because he allows Phoebe to take the blame for his smoking and he doesn't have the courage to take responsibility. Finally, Holden’s relationship with Phoebe is negative as he is unable to become the big brother that she needs. Phoebe is constantly helping Holden as she lends him money and is the source of Holden's happiness.
From the moment it was published in the 1950s, J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye has been a lightning rod for controversy. While some argue that the book is a timeless coming-of-age story that provides teenagers with a much-needed sense of empathy and that banning it would infringe on free speech and limit access to valuable literature, others maintain that its inappropriate themes and language make it unsuitable for young readers. This essay asserts that The Catcher in the Rye should be prohibited in schools and libraries due to its explicit language, frequent suicidal ideation, and inappropriate sexual content. The book's explicit language has sparked concern among many readers, particularly due to the offensive vocabulary used by Holden Caulfield.
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
Among the major hallmarks of The Catcher in the Rye is J. D. Salinger’s use of mid-twentieth-century slang and colloquial speech. Indeed, the language of the novel is one of the reasons critics considered the novel groundbreaking and controversial upon its initial publication. Salinger’s use of informal language also contributed to the novel’s popularity among a wide readership, who could recognize the voices and speech patterns in Holden’s narrative. Not only does Holden’s language make it easier for readers to identify with him; but his speech is also centrally important to the meaning of the novel as a whole. Holden’s colloquial speech signals the kind of youthful authenticity he strives to project (and protect) throughout the novel.
People who spoke with Holden, even his sister warned him while he was talking. When Holden was in the nightclub and dancing with Bernice, she said that “Watch your language, if you don’t mind.” (78) and while he was speaking with Phoebe, his sister, she said “Stop swearing.” (185) couple of times. When he’s talking with an adult or talking about adults, no matter who he is talking with, he always uses slang words.
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.
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
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.