The Catcher In the Rye, Banned For a Reason

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“ I ordered a scotch and soda and told him not to mix it – I said it fast as hell, because if you hem and haw, they think you are under twenty-one and won’t sell you any intoxicating liquor.” Quoted from Holden Caulfield the smoking, cursing, drinking prostitute soliciting, protagonist of the novel, The Catcher In the Rye. The novel follows only a few days of Holden’s life, but exploits Holden’s reckless behavior and poor decision making skills; therefore encouraging bad behavior on young readers. The story also follows a constant repetition of inappropriate words and swears; that one might consider profane. Lastly the story contains inappropriate scenes and dialogue that is sexually explicit. The adult content found in this novel makes it unsuitable for eighth graders. The Catcher In the Rye must be banned from usage in the eighth grade curriculum and the school environment. The eighth grade curriculum should not include stories with as many sexual references as the novel The Catcher In The Rye. Examples of the book’s sexual explicit content would be when Holden Caulfield solicits a prostitute. About one-third of ninth graders in the nation have sexual encounters and the statistic has a decreasing trend when age decreases. This shows that sex is an unexplored topic for many eighth graders; therefore the topic should be brought up to them in a way where the young students can learn to respect the action and learn the responsibility of when it should take place. The story portrays the idea of sex through the protagonist, Holden, who has a deep lust for sexual intercourse. To further prove Holden’s lust for sex in the story he states “I’m a sex addict.” A person with a deep longing for sexual intercourse is not the correct w... ... middle of paper ... ... disagree with a faith, it is a whole other story when one insults a religion. Parents do not want their children to believe insults are the way to voice your opinions. Consequently making The Catcher In the Rye a book not to be read by eighth graders. Further illustrating Holden’s flaws as a role model; also stated by Holden were the following quotes “Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy.” And “I'm seventeen now, and sometimes I act like I'm about thirteen. “ In conclusion, the novel The Catcher In the Rye must be banned from the eighth grade curriculum. The story is a negative influence to young readers. It contains countless profane words. Lastly the amount of sexual references is absurd for an eighth grade classroom. Schools, as well as teachers must realize the undesirable content of this novel and protect, the student from its damaging influences.

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