Ban the Catcher

“When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the

world that you fear what he might say.” stated George R.R. Martin, a popular 20th century

American writer. Unquestionably, to fear what one might say is a legitimate reason for

censorship. Banning books is a controversial topic, and will likely remain so in the foreseeable

future. Although the specific reasons for challenging novels have changed, the main intent

remains the same: benefit the youth. If indeed this is the motive behind banning books, why is

there doubt that stories spotlighting atrocious behavior should be banned? The Catcher in the Rye,

by J.D. Salinger, is a prime example of a book that should be restricted for middle school readers

because its protagonist encourages imprudent behavior and spotlights immoral themes that may

negatively influence an innocent reader.

The Catcher in the Rye, should be banned from schools because it introduces

inappropriate topics and encourages reckless behavior. Young readers may not understand mature

concepts in the novel and this will confuse them and maybe haunt them. Not only this, but

younger readers are also ripe for corruption, as bashful choices sugar-coated by protagonists’

success will seem like positive things to imitate. Some may say that if one has “a worldview that

can be undone by a novel… the problem is not with the novel.” This implies that a book

shouldn’t be able to twist one’s perspective on life. Regretfully, this isn’t the reality of our world.

Mark David Chapman, born in Texas in the 20th century, was a child loving Christian before

reading The Catcher in the Rye. He stated that his infamous murder of John Lennon was fueled

by his desire to relate to the book’s protagonist, Holden Caulfield. In the novel, Holden

emphasizes on multiple occasions his animosity for phonies. He express his annoyance about how

he is always “surrounded by phonies” (2), and refers to his former principal as the “phoniest

bastard I ever met in my life”(2). In a horrific attempt to be just like Holden, Chapman targeted
the biggest “phony” he could identify and abhorrently murdered him with that justification. By no

means should a book be able to inspire any cruel behavior, let alone murder.

The protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye constantly blurts out profane language that a

reader may learn from and attempt to imitate. Any parent would not want their children to read

books that may influence them to curse. In the novel, Holden is ranting about how one cannot

find a retreat from curse words. He complains that he will “have a tombstone and all, it’ll say

‘Holden Caulfield’ on it and then what year [he] was born in and what year [he] died, and then

right under that it’ll say fu*k you” (264). Cursing is considered a disrespectful act and Holden

ignoring this is encouraging the reader to rebel against socially acceptable behavior. On another

occasion, while arguing with Holden, a side character, Ackley, emphasizes that he “‘can’t just tell

somebody they can sleep in his goddamn bed if they want to.’ That killed me. I reached up from

where I was sitting on the floor and patted him on the goddamn shoulder” (62). The book is

blatantly using swears as amplifiers in places they have no need to be in. Not only does Holden

speak inappropriately, he thinks dirty as well. Throughout the novel, Holden swears constantly,

and eventually, these repeated cusses will persuade the reader to curse as well. Being exposed to

an abundance of vulgar prose can cause a person to unconsciously swear and act more

aggressively.

Not only does The Catcher in the Rye promote inappropriate speaking, but it encourages

inappropriate behavior such as underage drinking to feel euphoric. The book even teaches its

readers how to increase their odds at obtaining liquor at a young age. In the novel, Holden uses

alcohol in an attempt to fill up the void in his soul. On one occasion, Holden is at a hotel’s bar

and orders a scotch and a soda. He tells his waiter “not to mix it - [he] said it fast as hell because

if you hem and haw, they think you’re under twenty-one and won’t sell you any intoxicating

liquor” (90). When young readers come upon this piece of text they may not be fully aware of the

effects of such alcoholic beverages and assume that underage drinking is fine. Furthermore, the

book is transparently encouraging the use of alcohol as a retreat from one’s problems. Overall,
books that encourage drinking at a young age should be removed immediately from any form of

learning environment.

Finally, various members of the American Library Association complained that The

Catcher in the Rye’s protagonist expresses an animosity for money and school that exposes the

reader to various anti-capitalist themes. (eg. “There are more valuable things than money”,

“money can’t buy you happiness”, and “school is not important”.) America is a society that is

built around its belief in the value of money. Holden outrightly disregards the value of money and

complains how his brother, D.B., has “got a lot of dough, now. He didn’t use to. He used to just

be a regular writer… Now he’s out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute” (1). Holden is

alienating himself from the common belief that money is a positive value and is encouraging the

reader to do the same. Throwing such anticapitalist themes at the reader such as “Hollywood

writers are sellouts” may alter the view of a young child for the worse. Furthermore, Holden

rebels against what’s considered the social norm; he drops out of school and has a “happy

ending” after suffering on the street throughout the entirety of the novel. A young reader may

assume that if they, too, drop out of school it will all work out. The Catcher in the Rye seems to

deliberately go against what is considered “correct” and tries to influence the reader to rebel.

Regretfully, not everyone sees eye to eye on how to deal with The Catcher in the Rye.

Various sources argue that The Catcher in the Rye should stay in curriculums as it sends teen

readers the message that they are not alone with their problems. While the novel has many flaws,

it is undeniable that it sends an important moral towards its teenage readers. Nearing the end of

the story, Holden is told that he is “not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and

even sickened by human behavior. [He is] by no means alone” (246). While the speaker is

addressing Holden in the story, the author is sending this message to the reader. If there is one

thing positive about Holden it is that many can identify with him. A large number of teenagers

know someone who smokes or who is an addict. Holden represents that friend and can show the

reader how to deal with various situations and how to approach their companion or if it applies,
themselves. That said, while the message is indeed positive, it isn’t justifiable to keep a book in

for one beneficial idea. The Catcher in the Rye seems to barely provide any balance between

positive and negative morales, and the many bad choices made throughout the book outweigh the

spark of positivity. Furthermore, readers have to dig deep to see this hidden meaning of

connection. This message is a deep reading and casual or non-interested readers may skim over

this message entirely and only focus on the shallow reading: swearing, anti capitalist behavior,

and drugs usage. In short, a small meaning that is hard to uncover cannot stand in comparison

with the immense amount of poor behavior.

To keep a book such as The Catcher in the Rye in curriculums is equivalent to telling

every middle schooler to drop out of school and get high. There is no reason to preserve a book

that encourages poor decision making and introduces inappropriate themes. If every kid behaved

like Holden, the USA would fall into disarray.