Should The Catcher in the Rye Be Banned?

Writing is an art form, and one that should not be restricted to fit the whims of a few delusional parents and adults. Censorship of books in the United States dates back to Puritan New England in 1650, when William Pynchon’s The Meritorious Price of Redemption was banned from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The novel discussed a viewpoint that was against what Puritan ministers usually taught, which naturally made this book labeled as heretical. He then moved back to England because he thought New England had little religious freedom. Clearly, Pynchon understood that a piece of writing should not be banned for a town solely because it challenged some social norms in his highly-religious society. The Catcher in the Rye currently ranks at nineteen on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 most banned books in the United States. Although this is the case, The Catcher in the Rye should not be banned from schools. This is not just because the censorship of novels is morally wrong, but because the students reading it can relate to the main character’s, Holden’s, “inappropriate” scenes, can learn to form the relationships that Holden desperately lacks, and can learn that they are not alone in their feelings.
The main reason vehement adults want to ban The Catcher in the Rye is its frequent use of cursing, sexual themes and conversations, and mild violence. Contrary to these adults’ beliefs, these are all integral parts of adolescence, and therefore are shown as a part of Holden’s weekend alone. If anyone who tried to get this book banned listened in on high school hallway conversations, they would find that these “offensive” words are as much a part of our vocabulary as anything else. (I wouldn’t subject them to tha...

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... as a normal thing to ponder, Horwitz’s response to Holden’s question about the ducks was: “How the hell should I know something like that?” (Salinger 82). A lack of direction is another mutual sentiment in teenagers, who are expected to make major life decisions when they are just seventeen and eighteen. But, how can adults expect us to make these monumental decisions when they are censoring our literature?
Banning The Catcher in the Rye is unjust action that restricts art. Many of the censors’ concerns are trying to protect any remains of innocence they believe adolescents have, which just prevents a mature relationship between adults and teenagers. This novel provides a character with which students can relate to and learn from, traits found very rarely. Holden’s story should not be banned or censored, because if you censor the past, it will be forgotten.