Catcher and the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye

The book, the Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, has been established as a banned book numerous times because of the way sex is portrayed, Holden’s loss of innocence, and the atrocious rebellious ways of Holden. Not only does this book display inappropriate scenes that can influence the youth, but also it displays subjects in a vulgar way. Holden is not an exemplary character; therefore I would not want my children reading this book.

Most importantly, Holden’s way of rebelling ties all these ideas together. In many scenes it displays Holden rebelling against life, parents as well as society. For example, the simple fact that he smokes shows him rebelling against society because he is not at the adequate age to do so. A rather suitable quote would be, “I lay on the bed and light up a smoke. Stradlater hated when I smoked in the dorm, it was against school rules but no one could smell it,” (Page 17). This quote also is a perfect example of how he rebels against Stradlater who dislikes the fact that he smokes in the dorms. Another way Holden rebels is by trying to be independent and act like an adult, when in reality he is a child who still has many things to learn. Adults in society always place a great emphasis on education, but Holden does not think it is important. As a result, he rebels and does not do his work. “They kicked me out. I wasn't supposed to come back after Christmas vacation, on account of I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself and all. They gave me frequent warnings to start applying myself - especially around midterms, when my parents came up for a conference with old Thurmer, but I didn’t do it,” (Page 6). Even though the adults tell Holden to apply himself, he does not. He does what he wants to, not caring what adults think. This also exemplifies the fact that he rebels against life because in order to do well in life you must work for it, therefore showing that he doesn’t mind failing in life. An...