Censorship: A Friend Or Foe?
“There’s far more to the censorship issue than a ban on sex and four-letter words. I sometimes think that those of us who need to be the most clearheaded about these matters are planting the very trees that obscure our view of the forest” says Dorothy Briley (C5). According to Briley, a vast amount more is needed than simply vulgar language and suggestive material to censor a novel. But this is the very reason why J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is frequently being banned from high schools. To the reader who is at the transition from childhood to adulthood, the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, becomes the reader’s hero. The adolescent mind that Salinger portrays so accurately in his novel is one that most teenagers can identify with. The Catcher in the Rye also contains universal themes that, for teenagers about to shift into adulthood, help them to better comprehend the world and other people. Although it does contain invective speech and sexual connotations, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger should not be censored in high schools because it provides insightful information and relevance to the life of young adults through its themes of materiali
open” (43), hoping to rescue Jane from Stradlater’s ruination of her innocence. Then, when Holden It may be obvious why so many high schools are banning Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. There is an abundance of scurrilous language throughout the whole of the novel and also mature, sexual topics that many feel high school students should not be introduced to. For instance, Holden has “an unsuccessful encounter with a hotel prostitute, is informed by an older male friend about the omnipresence of predatory gay males, and ponders frequently his virginal state” (Simmons 3). Consequently, society tends to assume teenagers are too callow and too unseasoned in such subjects to procure any worthy guidance from the novel. Thus, many schools are banning Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye in order to halt the further advancement of vituperative language and grown-up, sensual topics into young adults’ lives. Through Holden’s voice, Salinger purposefully makes him appear foolish, deriding teenagers’ penchant for materialistic objects. Salinger draws a connection to young adults through the protagonist’s materialism, compelling the teenager to scrutinize his or her own shallowness. Salinger illustrates how mindless Holden behaves when he and his roommate ask to be separated, not because they do not like each other, but because one has inferior suitcases. Not only does the adolescent reader think Holden is dotty, but the reader also espies the puerile and silly preoccupation with materialistic articles within himself or herself. The theme of materialism in The Catcher in the Rye allows teenagers to witness how comatose their demand for materialistic objects is, a necessary apprehension for adolescents who are making the passage into adulthood. covertly visits his younger sister Phoebe, she inquires about what he would like to be in life. Holden responds: from high schools. Salinger uses clever mockery to illustrate how inane teenagers act over materialistic objects. This is particularly evident when Holden elaborates about suitcases:
Some topics in this essay:
Catcher Rye,
Furthermore Holden,
Jane Stradlater’s,
That’s I’d,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Jane Gallagher,
Friend Foe,
Rye Salinger,
catcher rye,
Holden Caulfield,
According Briley,
loss innocence,
school students,
materialistic objects,
salinger’s catcher,
salinger’s catcher rye,
censored schools,
schools banning salinger’s,
childhood adulthood,
transition childhood,
mean,
banned schools,
theme loss innocence,
banning salinger’s catcher,
transition childhood adulthood,
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Approximate Word count = 1405
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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