A Book Is Made to Be Read: Catcher in the Rye

             

The main reasons that Catcher in the Rye appears on so many school list as banned might have been more logical in the past. However in our time what was considered obscene and worth banning before are concepts that the children and youth today are more familiar with. The way Holden acts as a teenager might have been less realistic before but today it isn’t as unusual as it was before.

         The reasons for which it is banned like the language, prostitution, sexual references and obscenities are things that teenagers already know about. Children aren’t as innocent as they were before and if the reason that it is banned is because of those things then it is absurd because if not already, eventually, children will stumble upon these topics. Banning the book for these reasons will not prevent the children to encounter the concepts that are shown.

         The book is relevant to the teenagers of our time. The issues that Holden comes across are those that many teenagers face and happen frequently today. For example, the youth going against the authority, not wanting to grow-up, being rebellious and trying to find where you belong. It is also a coming of age book and teenagers today can relate while reading it.

 Many schools along the south of the U.S have banned it for being “anti-white”, for going against the “perfect” image of an American family. It is close minded to ban a book just because it goes against that unrealistic idea of everything being perfect. But I believe the children should at least have the option to read the book.  They should decided if they want to or don’t want to read the book of their choice.