Why Is The Catcher In The Rye Banned

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Published in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, has often appeared on banned book lists. The book has always been controversial from the beginning and still remains that way today. Readers in the 1950s were not prepared to read about topics that were considered inappropriate. As a matter of fact, the book was originally published as an adult novel. The three main reasons why the book was banned included, vulgar language, sexual references, and alcohol abuse. All topics that most people do not want teenagers engaged in. Holden Caufield was a very peculiar teenager, who expressed himself by using a great amount of vulgar language. When this book was published in the 1950s, people were not as accepting to the use of Holden’s way of speaking. “Three of the top five words in The Catcher in the Rye – “goddam”, “hell” and “damn” – are curse words, which of course is one of the reasons this is one of the most banned books in school libraries. In fact, continuing down the list with “chrissake”, “bastard”, “crap”, “sonuvabitch”. Holden would use this language with his sister, teachers, friends, and random people on the streets. Schools and libraries did not want to expose children to this bad behavior, keeping them under a good influence. The Catcher in the Rye not only demonstrates a great amount of vulgar language, but it also …show more content…
Therefore, I believe, The Catcher in the Rye, should not be banned in high schools. If a student or his or her parents feel the reading material is inappropriate, they could choose an alternative. Banning a book sometimes make it more desirable, which defeats the purpose of having it forbidden. In the past 60 years, society’s standards about what is appropriate have changed. In my opinion, Holden’s search for identity is more important to understanding our own lives than a few banned comments and

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