Catcher in the Rye
Since its original publication in 1945, J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye has been subjected to much controversy concerning its vulgar and profane content. According to Herbert N. Foerstel's Banned in the U.S.A., Salinger's book ranks third on the list of books most frequently banned by schools and public libraries. To these governing bodies, be they misguided school boards, parent-teacher organizations, or librarians, the pervasive rawness in The Catcher in the Rye lies not only in its language, but its violence, sexuality, preponderance of underage alcohol and tobacco abuse, and the generally rebellious main character, Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year old male pariah. Such governing groups fear that the precious youth of their communities will adopt the offensive behaviors of Salinger's characters, seek the unseemly environments that he depicts, and consequently experience complete nervous breakdowns. This pandemic belief in censorship was further exacerbated in 1980 when John Lennon was assassinated by a mentally unstable young man who carried a copy of Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. However, those who believe in the censorship of this book do not understand that Salinger uses excessive b
By introducing the under-aged prostitute, Sunny, Salinger shows Caulfield's lack of close friends. Caulfield explains to the hooker that he recently had an "operation on the clavichord....a ways down in the spinal canal" (96), hence he has little energy, and just wants to talk. This moment is a sad and pathetic instant because it reveals his lack of communication skills to the extent that he must pay someone for conversation. Caulfield has no meaningful friendships, therefore disguises a sexual situation for personal communication. Paradoxically, when Caulfield dreams of married life, he pictures himself as a deaf mute married to a beautiful dear mute woman. "That way I wouldn't have to have any goddamn stupid useless conversations with anybody" (198). This plan is Caulfield's attempt to eliminate the speech technicalities from his life, because he has consistently lost and been very unsuccessful through verbal communication. The way Caulfield confronts sexuality at all these different levels, show his inability to communicate or relate with people, and reinforces his isolation in the world. Salinger also uses both tobacco not to support the acceptance of underage use, but to add a dimension of defiance to the thoughts and deeds of his characters. Caulfield even acknowledges the relationship between tobacco usage and adverse health consequences, "I have no wind, if you want to know the truth. I'm quite a heavy smoker, for one thing" (5). Yet he enjoys antagonizing his roommate by smoking in their room late at night: "It drove him crazy when you broke any rules. He never smoked in the dorm. It was only me" (41). Caulfield's use of tobacco here displays a playful, teasing attitude. He does not associate his smoking as an addictive or terrible habit but rather smokes for fun and to jokingly annoy others. While one might argue that Caulfield's smoking habits belie a total disrespect for others, Salinger is merely provoking light of the situation. In a analogous way, Salinger portrays the abuse of alcohol in order to show the extreme range of emotions that Caulfield experiences, from the depressing lows to the lighthearted highs. The drastic transition little emotion between these highs and lows is exemplified at the Wicker Bar Hotel as Caulfield casually drinks scotch and sodas with his former student advisor, Carl Luce.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1587
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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