Banned or Permitted?: Why Schools Should Teach The Catcher in the Rye (Essay Sample)

Well-known author J.K. Rowling says that when someone reads a good novel, “very magical” things can happen. For most readers, this extraordinary thing is the unexpected journey that they take through the complex emotions and themes present within the novel. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger contains both feelings and lessons that transform its audience, something that schools should not prevent teenagers from experiencing. This story about a sixteen-year-old living in the 1950s follows the journey of the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, as he explores New York City after being expelled from his third private school, Pencey Prep. The first work of literature to give a voice to a teenager, J.D. Salinger’s novel explores the ideas of grief, loneliness, and the reality of growing up. The Catcher in the Rye should not be banned from school curriculums because it depicts a real teenager and has relatable themes.

School curriculums should include The Catcher in the Rye because it portrays the reality of being a teenager. Holden uses words such as “damn” “and ‘crap’” (Salinger 15) to convey how he feels; the word “hell” is used two hundred and sixty-eight times throughout the novel. While many schools ban Catcher due to extensive profanity, the novel’s use of swear words provides a more realistic take on how teenagers act. Most modern teenagers do not shy away from using the same, or worse, language Holden does, which helps readers connect to the story because it makes Holden seem more like an authentic teen with genuine thoughts and feelings. Reading is always more enjoyable for students when they can sympathize with the novel’s characters, and schools should want to make reading more attractive to their students. Unlike some stories that avoid using vulgarity, The Catcher in the Rye uses it to its advantage by making situations relatable to the reader. Holden never curses for the fun of it; he swears to emphasize his feelings, most of which are pessimistic. These feelings act as a bridge between Holden and the novel’s audience because he experiences many of the same emotions that they do. Whether he is feeling “so damn happy,” (114) “mad and nervous,” (56) or “sad as hell,” (9) Holden’s rollercoaster of emotions provides depth to his character -- he is not one-dimensional. Most people find characters with flat and superficial personalities boring; however, Holden experiences many different sentiments throughout Catcher. Similar to how real teenagers feel, his responses fluctuate and are ever-changing, allowing readers to connect to Holden. This truthful portrayal of adolescence is why classrooms should keep Catcher in their library. Moreover, even though he is scared of growing up and losing his innocence, Holden still experiments with maturity by paying “for a prostitute” (50) and getting into a fight with Ward Stradlater, his roommate at Pencey Prep. While most teenagers do not go to the same extremes as Holden, they share the same sentiment. Holden wants to learn about sex and sometimes uses violence to display his feelings. Although schools ban Catcher due to explicit material and graphic ideas, the novel expresses many adult concepts that real-life teenagers think about. Schools should keep The Catcher in the Rye in their classrooms because it portrays youth realistically.

Schools should not ban J.D. Salinger's novel because of its themes. One of Catcher’s most common ideas is that becoming an adult is difficult and scary. Holden repeatedly wonders “where the ducks [go] when” (7) the lake in Central Park freezes over. His seemingly pointless question hides a deeper meaning -- it is a metaphor for Holden’s anxiety about what will happen to him when he is no longer a child. The reader glimpses into Holden’s thoughts about becoming an adult. Many high schools who worry about what comes after graduating mirror his anxiety. Readers are comforted by the idea that they are not alone in their nervousness and uncertainty about the future, which is why school curriculums should include Catcher. Another prevalent topic is phoniness and the idea that everywhere Holden goes, he is “surrounded by phonies” (8). To Holden, anyone who pretends to be someone else to fit into society or even wants to fit in is a phony, and he hates them with a passion. For many teens, this is an understandable theme, as some students feel like they are not themselves when they are at school. Schools should teach Catcher because it provides teenagers with a similar situation to the one they might face and uses realistic themes that teens can find in their daily life. Holden also uses the lesson that appearances can be deceiving to further his idea that the world is full of phonies. Even though his roommate, Stradlater, seems to be perfect and put-together, Holden knows the truth -- Stradlater is “more of a secret slob” (15). While Stradlater may look flawless to other people, he is privately messy and does not take proper care of his things. Because so many of the people around him are fake, Holden does not trust easily. This theme is one that many youths can relate to. Schools should keep this novel in their classroom because students can connect to its themes and learn lessons from the characters.

School curriculums should include The Catcher in the Rye because it portrays a real teen and has messages that teenagers can connect to. Another novel that presents the reality of being a teenager is The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, in which the main character, Xiomara, has to deal with familial expectations and religious pressure while navigating high school. Both novels provide truthful depictions of adolescence, even though they discuss topics that may be considered mature, and have been banned for including difficult topics. J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is an essential novel to keep in the classroom, and schools should not prohibit their students from reading it.