Catcher in the Rye Argument Essay

Catcher in the Rye Argument Essay

“For chrissake, these people who wanna ban my helluva book are just a bunch of phonies!” That’s what Holden Caulfield, the main character of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, would describe the parents who want this book out of middle school shelves. This book is about Holden getting kicked out of his rich-kid boarding school and going on a little adventure to try and figure out how to be happy, and is a classic piece of literature. The Catcher in the Rye should not be banned from schools because teenagers can handle the content it presents and will not be influenced by it.

One reason people think it should be banned is because there’s lots of swearing. For example, Holden says words like goddamn and hell many times, and made-up words like chrissake (Christ’s sake), helluva (Hell of a) and sonuvabitch (Son of a bitch). There’s also a scene where fuck you is written all over the walls of his school. However, in the article “Darkness Too Visible”, the author states, “Foul language is widely regarded among librarians, reviewers and booksellers as perfectly OK, provided that it emerges organically from the characters and the setting rather than being tacked on for sensation.” Holden’s language is a great example of this. He says it organically because that’s his personality. And just because Holden says these words doesn’t mean teens will. We’re not toddlers that are influenced by everything. And besides, the part where fuck you is written all over the walls of Holden’s school, Holden doesn’t write it, he finds the writing and gets angry because his old school has been vandalized with bad language. So, even if teenagers were easily influenced, we’d be convinced that saying and writing the word fuck is bad. Clearly, The Catcher in the Rye should not be banned just because it has swears in it.

Another reason people think it should be banned is because it discusses sex. Holden continually talks about sex, saying sentences like, “I was feeling pretty horny,” and, “I’m probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw.” It’s understandable why parents might not want their kids to read stuff like this because they might feel their kids are too young and won’t understand it, or that they think they’re not ready for it, but once again, parents must realize that their kids are becoming adults, and this is a topic teens must know in order to be an adult. Furthermore, there is nothing graphic in The Catcher in the Rye. He just talks about wanting to have sex, like many teenagers his age will do. Overall, The Catcher in the Rye should not be banned even though it discussed sex.

The last reason people think it should be banned is because it discusses suicide. There is a scene in The Catcher in the Rye where Holden tells a story about a boy he once knew that committed suicide named James Castle. He got bullied a lot and one day jumped out a window and killed himself. Many parents don’t want their kids to be exposed to sad topics such as suicide. They think it is too sad and depressing for teens’ minds and that it’ll make them think that committing suicide is OK. But, once again, we teens are not influenced by everything we read. If a parent isn’t OK with the idea that their kid can commit suicide, then they should talk to their kid about how it is wrong. Without a doubt, The Catcher in the Rye should not be banned just because it discussed suicide.

In general, The Catcher in the Rye should not be banned from schools. All the reasons people want it to be banned are actually topics teens need to learn about. Parents need to learn that their kids aren’t little toddlers anymore, and that we’re growing up. We are becoming adults, and these are the things adults know. “Goddamn! Thanks for defending my helluva book!” You’re welcome Holden, you’re welcome.

Works Cited

Cox Gurdon, Meghan. "Darkness Too Visible." Wall Street Journal. Wall Street Journal, 4 June 2011. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York, Columbus, OH: Little, Brown, 1951. Print.