Censorship of J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye"
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This paper discusses why this book was originally censored and explains the fact that Holden saw through the double standards in society and he undercut the authority of the adult world while including a lot of negativity in the novel. The paper then argues why this book must still be defended and asserts that despite the character's own wrongs, he does have some very important points to make about hypocrisy in the world. The paper further argues that the primary reason why this novel should be allowed to be published is that repressing other peoples views will only end up in them reacting more violently and irrationally.
From the Paper:"The Catcher in the Rye was written by J.D. Salinger in 1951. It became a very famous story about the two days in the life of 16-year-old Holden Caulfield. Holden has just been expelled from his school and he is very confused and disenchanted. He searches to find peace, but he has a difficult time because he sees the pretentiousness of the outside world. He ends up being very disturbed and has a nervous breakdown. From that point on he sees a psychiatrist. After his recovery, he tells us his story. This book was banned because the young narrator shows far too much disrespect to the adult world. The 1950s could not accept this kind of assault by a young person on authority. The name of the book comes from Holden's fantasy about what his meaning of life would be. When his sister asks him his dream,
"Holden says he wants to protect small children. He is in a field of rye, while the children are playing, and he says that he wants to catch everyone if they go over the cliff. Thus, he sees himself as "the catcher in the rye." In many ways, this shows that the young man cannot save himself, so he wants to save someone else. In this idea, we see that there is much more sophistication to this book than just what the censors thought. The censors should have allowed young people to decide for themselves what Holden's problem was."
Cite this Persuasive Essay:
Censorship of J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" (2003, October 07) Retrieved April 02, 2020, from https://www.academon.com/persuasive-essay/censorship-of-j-d-salinger-catcher-in-the-rye-38175/
"Censorship of J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye"" 07 October 2003. Web. 02 April. 2020. <https://www.academon.com/persuasive-essay/censorship-of-j-d-salinger-catcher-in-the-rye-38175/>