Catcher In The Rye Rhetorical Analysis

From the day that J.D. Salinger published his book “The Catcher in the Rye”, it has maintained its title as one of the most controversial books on the shelf. Society has taken the poor elements such as prostitution and under-aged drinking and used it to ban the book in many schools and libraries. Whether or not reading this book has any importance to youth has been the greatest argument for most of society. The book compiles many underlying issues in teenager’s lives and the main character Holden very bluntly acknowledges them. Holden also calls out the phoniness that most adults participate in around others.The book's status as inappropriate and unimportant has been argued for and against since the book was written. Through Salinger’s use

of rhetoric elements in his text, he conveys value for young adults reading this book; because of the controversial elements that this text entails, many found it to be an unnecessary read lacking value for younger generations.
In J.D.

Salinger’s text, “The Catcher in the Rye”, he uses multiple forms of rhetoric to make his text more valuable for young adults. One form that he used was an allusion. In the beginning of his book, Holden is in his dorm and decides to tell the reader about the books he is reading. He explained, “they gave me out of Africa by Isak Dinesen. It was a very good book” (Salinger 18). In the book “Out of Africa” the main character Karen is the defender all the people that live on her farm. By alluding to this text, Salinger provides that Holden relates to Karen in that he wants to help others as well. Through Holden’s aspirations of being a good samaritan, Salinger is able to provide greater value for young adults that read his book. High school students could possibly be encouraged by Holden’s hopes of helping others. Not only does Salinger use allusions in his book, but also Holden’s tone. All through the text, Holden possesses a compassionate tone. This was most easily noticeable when he describes his encounters with the prostitute. In the text he says, “I took her dress and hung it up in the closet for her… I thought of her going to the store and buying it and nobody knowing she was a prostitute… It made me feel sad as hell” (Salinger 96). In this excerpt, it is obvious that holden has a sense of compassion upon the prostitute. He describes that he felt sad when he thought of her buying the dress. From Holden’s compassionate tone, “The Catcher in the Rye” provides a positive element of sympathy for youth to mimic. Holden’s sympathetic actions can also be viewed as an attempt to erase his rebellious actions. As the reader views his various instances of compassion on others, they slowly forget about his less mature actions. Holden’s dialogue can also be viewed as a positive form of rhetoric in Salinger's text. Youth in the 1950’s around the time that “The Catcher in the Rye” was published were rebellious in all their actions . They wanted to do exactly what

adults did not want them to do. Holden, throughout the text, speaks with much profanity as a 1950’s rebellious teenager would. In his text he states words such as “goddamn” “sonuvabitch” and “hell” countless times and he does so intentionally. Rebellious youth in the 1950’s used the same dialogue that Holden did. This factor would make the book relatable to youth in that time period. Profanity is never a positive element, but Salinger was able to take Holden's dialogue and use it to create value for teens reading his book in that they would enjoy it and be encouraged to read other pieces. Through Salinger's strategic use of different rhetoric elements, he was capable of producing a valuable read for youth.
In Salinger’s text, he implements many actions that went against societal expectations. One main thing was expectations on courting and relationships. In the book, Holden describes Stradlater's different sexual experiences. In one instance, Holden says that, “Most guys at Penecey just talked about having sexual intercose with girls all the time… but old Stradlater really did it.” One societal expectation as stated in the report “Courtship in the 1950’s” is that, “Neither boy nor girl could date anyone else…” (Courtship in the 1950’s). In the text as shown earlier, Stradlater had multiple partners that he would have sex with. Also shown is that in the 1950’s, young adults were expected to maintain a relationship with one girl at a time. Stradlater went completely against the conventional rules of dating in the 1950’s, as a result of this, the book was banned by many. Society feared what would happen to the youth from reading this book, so banning it was simply on impulse to protect them. Salinger also portrays delinquency among younger characters in his book. Under-age drinking and prostitution are just a few of the many poor decisions Holden made in the text. When Holden was bored, he would go to a bar or a club. On one account he explains, “I sat at that goddamn bar till around one o’clock or so, getting drunk as a bastard. I could hardly see straight” (Salinger 150). In this excerpt, Holden explains his drinking habits. As already known, Holden is under legal drinking age. In a report provided by Gale Group on “Law and Justice in the 1950’s” it is said that, “ They were disturbed by the trend…and especially by the sharp increase in juvenile crime” (Law and Justice in the 1950’s). Under age drinking is a punishable crime under certain circumstances. In the 1950’s, juvenile delinquency was a growing issue for all of society. Young people faced pressure to participate in illegal acts from their peers all the time. Having a book in the schools and libraries only served to provide another influence on the teens.
Many critics have argued the circumstances for banning this book all over America. One critic in particular, Robert Bennett, feels that “The Catcher in the Rye” has value for teens and is a necessary read. He argues that some of Holden’s positive personality traits, such as his willingness to help others, provides a valuable lesson for others to take from the book. In his critique he says, “This quality is evident in a number of passages, including when Holden expresses his desire to be a catcher in the rye… his fight with Stradlater for making sexual advances to Jane Gallagher, his inability to have sex with a prostitute” (Overview of The Catcher in the Rye). Bennett obviously views the the banning of the book as unnecessary. He explains that the positive qualities of Holden’s personality could be a great take away from the book. From his descriptions of Holden punching Stradlater and wanting to be the catcher in the rye, one can easily take away that Holden is actually a good person. Though he obviously has his flaws, Holden conveys a positive message by wanting to protect others. His positive attributes make the book a highly valuable read for teens especially in the 1950’s as they battled poor influences on their lives. On the flip side, some critics view “The Catcher in the Rye” as a threat to youth and their innocence. Critic Edward P. J. Corbett, feels that the banning of the book was necessary to protect the youth of the 1950’s. In one of his critiques on the banning of the book he stated, “To deny that words can shape our attitudes and influence our actions would be to deny the rhetorical power of language” (Raise High the Barriers, Censors). According to this quote that was stated by Corbett, he feels that the power of language influenced the banning of the book. Holden uses much profanity all through the text and when the reader is constantly bombarded by it, they may begin to be influenced by his vocabulary. Corbett believes that banning the book due to its excessive amounts of curse words was a plausible cause. Profanity in the 1950’s was one of those things adults did not like. Teenagers trying to be rebellious would naturally implement curse words into their vocabulary. “The Catcher in the Rye” was nothing new to them and their word choice. Therefore, the type of language used in the book would have no real affect on the teens.
Author J.D. Salinger has taken a lot of heat for his controversial book, “The Catcher in the Rye”. As a result of its negative elements such as drinking and prostitution, his book has been banned by many institutions all across America. Through Salinger’s careful use of rhetoric such as Holden’s tone, dialogue, and allusions he is able to convey a valuable message for his readers. Due to the certain societal expectations that the book went against at the time it was published, reasons for banning it were abundant. Many critics have argued the reasons for banning this book. One critic who does not agree with the banning believes that Holden’s willingness to help others creates value for reading the book. On the contrary, critics that agree with the banning believe that the book’s exhaustion of profanity created a negative effect on its readers.