Should The Catcher In The Rye Be Banned

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In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, a teenage boy named Holden Caulfield endures the obstacles and trials of being a teen, which also includes every aspect of being a teen: being confused, lost, and so on. However, The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most banned books in schools, regardless of the fact that The Catcher in the Rye, in many critics’ eyes, is a helpful and a relatable book for teens. Nonetheless many--such as parents-- believe the book is inappropriate for schools and should be banned due to the hundreds of profanities found in the book as well as the fact that there is a prostitute in one part of the novel. Books like The Catcher in the Rye should not be banned. TCIR offends certains religions and can impact young children. In Christianity, …show more content…
Holden doesn't have many real friends in the book because in his mind, he is “surrounded by phonies (Salinger 60),” which creates an “alienation from normal people(Whitfield 6)” between Holden and other characters in the book. Some people can identify and have identified with Holden’s alienation and seclusion from average people in society, however, in many instances, the people who identify most with Holden take his seclusion to the extreme, as far as murder or assassinations. For instance, “Mark David Chapman murdered John Lennon(Whitfield 6)” with the book in his pocket because he wanted to save Lennon’s innocence much like how Holden wanted to save all the children from the cliff by being the catcher in the rye. Although Chapman’s methods are much different than Holden’s dream job concept, TCIR ultimately inspired the murderous act as well as numerous others such as the attempt on President Ronald Reagan’s life. TCIR’s creation of a character who is portrayed as a loner, Holden, ultimately led to two violent acts to be committed by two people who self-identified with the main character, Holden, creating another logical reason for the banning of the
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