Catcher In The Rye Analysis

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A classic for many reasons. This is what I think when reading the book Catcher in the Rye. This book is an icon of it’s time, and reflected well the age of I think that this book... While this book is very well written and cultivates questions for the reader as they relate to the characters, due to some of this book's context, if it were translated into a movie it would most certainly obtain an R rating. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger should have a qualifier to read the book of being 17 and up.
There are many opposed to the book The Catcher in the Rye, one article that shows the controversy is one by TIMES. The first rise of concern of this book was in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1960, where after a teacher incorporated the novel into the curriculum, was fired. In Columbus Ohio, the book was even accused of …show more content…

One thing that might be too much for younger readers is all the use of curse words. Just to show a few places that have vulgar language, “She should’ve carried a goddam telephone around with her” (71), “..’you give me a royal pain in the ass..’” (173), “... I asked her how she could date a show-off bastard like Al Pike” (176), “Somebody’d written ‘Fuck you’ on the wall” (260). Anyone walking through any high school will hear a number of these things, but the frequent casual usage, and having to read them over and over may be much for some younger, more sheltered readers. Another part of the book that causes this book to need to be read by mature readers was the sexual content. “ I figured if she was a prostitute and all, I could get some practice in on her, in case I ever get married or anything” (121). Here is where Holden is waiting for a prostitute in a hotel room. Nothing ends up happening

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    Despite being a worldwide best seller, J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye has been on the banned books list since 1961 ( (Baldassarro). The Catcher in the Rye tells the short journey, of anti-hero Holden Caulfield, between the end of the fall semester and Christmas break (Salinger). The story begins when Holden is expelled from his school, Pency Prep, for failing a majority of his classes (Salinger). Holden knows he must return home, so he attempts to prolong the scolding he will receive from his parents, for being expelled, by venturing around Manhattan until it becomes necessary to return to his home (Salinger). Holden tells his story in the most vulgar way possible. Holden accounts being offered a prostitute by an elevator operator when he asks, “Innarested a little tail t’night?” (Salinger 91). Offensive language is also used throughout the book, for example, “You’re a dirty stupid sonuvabitch of a moron” (Salinger 44). Underage drinking is also one of Holden’s favorite passtimes as evident in the quote, “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’re under twenty-one and won’t sell you any intoxicating liquor” (Salinger 69). These three quotes express the precise justifications for banning books: sexually explicit content, offensive language, and underage drug use (Association). Although, many consider The Catcher in the Rye to be morally wrong, it should not ...

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  • Banning The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

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    Did you ever think that books that have sex, obscene language, and immoral subjects can make a good book? The Catcher in the Rye has been on the banned reading list for exactly those reasons. The book was mainly put on disapproval from between 1966 and 1975 in almost every school district in the United States. The book was said to be so bad that in 1960 a teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was fired for assigning the book to an eleventh-grade English class. Despite some opposition to the novel, however, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye should be on a reading list for the freshman students because it gives a crystal clear image on how the world is in violence, sex, and obscenity and the book also teaches the motifs of lying and deception.

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  • Catcher in the Rye Essay: Eight Early Reviews

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  • The Catcher In the Rye Should Not be Banned

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

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  • Catcher In The Rye Thesis

    423 Words  | 1 Pages

    Since its publication, the novel, The Catcher in the Rye has been a source of controversy. Holden Caulfield is placed in questionable situations due to his alienation from society and desire to protect the innocent.

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  • Inappropriate Language In Catcher In The Rye

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    The use of offensive and inappropriate words often deems a book indecent for children to read. J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is a victim of being censored and banned because of the language used in the story. Passages in the book contain large amounts of profanity, which many have taken offense to. In fact, research has shown that a whopping five percent of the novel consists of words that were inappropriate during the time period in which the book was published (Taylor). The use of profanity in The Catcher in the Rye is the biggest reason as to why many schools and libraries have banned it in the past. Schools often received complaints from parents who did not want their children to be subjected to such foul language. In 1982, the

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