The Catcher in the Rye has long been a lightning rod for controversy over the years, generating many calls for censorship, some of them successful, thus making it a central work in 20th-century and even censorship debates. Between 1966 and 1975, it was the most frequently banned book in schools. Teachers were fired for assigning the book to students, and numerous boards debated the book’s place in the classroom.

The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Litle, Brown and Company, 1951. This post is part of the series: The Catcher in the Rye Study Guide. Nothing like the tale of a maladjusted teenager for entertainment. Famous Quotes from The Catcher in the Rye with Analysis; The Catcher in the Rye Chapter Summaries; The Catcher in the Rye Characters with Analysis.
The Catcher in the Rye Lyrics: Would you rise up and dazzle all my mind / Come on and trample my dreams with the weight of your heels / You know I feel like I could walk the line / I feel your.

The Catcher in the Rye From a mental institution, where he is receiving treatment, Holden Caulfield recounts the two day period after he is kicked out of school. Below are some reading passages that we have hand picked to supplement this book.

In 1976, a legislative hearing in Oklahoma City involved a local censorship group seeking to prevent a bookseller from vending the book. The group went so far as to take vigilante action, parking a “Smutmobile” outside the hearing in the hopes of swaying the decision. Ultimately the bookseller dropped the book from his inventory in order to avoid further scandal.

Ten years later, controversy emerged again in Pennsylvania when the book was assigned in a local literature class. Parents objected, and the school board voted to ban the book. Soon after, parents in New Jersey complained to their school board about the book’s “filthy and profane” language and its apparent promotion of premarital sex, homosexuality, and perversion. They also claimed that it was “explicitly pornographic” and, predictably, “immoral” (Sova 2). The board ultimately relented, banning the book for everyone but Advanced Placement students, who they ruled could understand and appreciate the novel’s universal message. Still, parents were given the right to prevent their children from reading the book.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the book again became the subject of intense censorship. Parents in a small Washington town asserted that the book had nearly 800 instances of profanity. They even stated boldly that it was part of a Communist plot, one that was gaining such a foothold in the schools that “a lot of people are used [to it] and may not even be aware of it” (Sova 3). Capitalizing on anti-Communist sentiment, the parents quickly saw their complaints validated when the school board banned the book.

Objections continue to this day. Parents in Ohio, Alabama, Florida, North Dakota, California, Mississippi, Illinois, and New Hampshire have all complained to their school boards and had the book banned for a variety of reasons. Some object to the frank discussion of sexuality, others to the main character’s godlessness, and some simply to the portrayal of misanthropy. Many of these parents point to the known obsessive fans of Salinger’s novel, who have gone on to destructive infamy. These fans include Mark David Chapman, who assassinated John Lennon and was found carrying the book afterwards. Chapman also read a passage from the book at his sentencing. John Hinckley, Jr., who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was also alleged to have been obsessed with the book. And Robert John Bardo, who murdered Rebecca Schaeffer, was found carrying the book when he visited her apartment. Parents tend to call the book a sort of anti-social Bible that deserves to be exterminated from school curricula.

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Jean ColeIt's not about the story. It's about the context of the story.
We have to consider it in the context of the era in which this book was released. The er…moreIt's not about the story. It's about the context of the story.
We have to consider it in the context of the era in which this book was released. The era is post-WWII America. We had just defeated two evil empires, and our soldiers were coming Home Sweet Home to their happy-to-be-housewives and their 2.5 kids who were to be seen and not heard.
Readers who were born and brought up after the 1960s don't realize what a revolution occurred in the 1950s and 1960s. Today being a free spirit and expressing your individuality is celebrated and encouraged. In those days you were expected to (as I was told) 'Do as I say, not as I do.' That may sound outrageous and unreasonable but it was, in fact, exactly what was accepted as good parenting.
And here we have 1) a main character who curses constantly, and unashamedly rejects the values of his parents and society in general and 2) a narrative style that is casual and conversational. These two factors were shocking and dismaying to some, refreshing and delightful to others.
And so Holden became a hero to some. Not in the conventional sense of the word, but because people related to him and they sympathized with the way he felt. He personified all that was wrong with society. If you don't go along, if you don't play the game, then the vast machine that is society will knock you down and even lock you away. Holden is not intended to be a hero in the conventional sense of the word. He is a tragic victim of the crappy world in which he has no control and where no one understands him.
I imagine that in 1951, when this was published, there were those who said 'Yes! It's about time someone was honest!' and there were those who exclaimed 'What is this world coming to?' There was change coming, that's for sure. This book was just one sign of the impending cultural revolution. That's why it's a classic. Think of it as a brick in the foundation of the revolution to come.(less)

Monika PrzegalińskaI think, it is about saving innocence, which is also a symbol of childhood. Holden simply wants to save his little sister (and other kids) from proces…moreI think, it is about saving innocence, which is also a symbol of childhood. Holden simply wants to save his little sister (and other kids) from process of adolescence and future adulthood. Hi wants to be 'Catcher in the rye' - the man who saves children from falling, falling into the adulthood.
In my opinion it's not about that Holden does'nt want to grow up, he know that ge is growing up right now and he sees how painful and hard it is, so he wants to protect ever little kid from what he finds so harmful.
Just a subjective opinion:) (less)

MelindaThe heart of Catcher in the Rye is that Holden is mourning the loss of his innocence. He finds himself straddling the world of childhood, where the mu…moreThe heart of Catcher in the Rye is that Holden is mourning the loss of his innocence. He finds himself straddling the world of childhood, where the museum displays stay the same and your baby brother is still alive, cracking up at the dinner table — and the world of adulthood, where there are F-bombs in bathroom stalls and no one wants to have a real conversation.
The sense of grief and alienation that come with such a transition are, I think, what many people — especially teenagers — find so touching and relatable about this story.(less)

Sofia W. S.I could definitely see Holden having clinical depression. He's very troubled and miserable; it's quite likely due to this mental illness or something …moreI could definitely see Holden having clinical depression. He's very troubled and miserable; it's quite likely due to this mental illness or something like it. However, he's also a teenager growing up, so his judgmental and rather depressive tendencies aren't unusual.. (less)

AbbieThis book is timeless because its about a teenager coming to terms with his emotions that are confusing which is something everyone experiences at som…moreThis book is timeless because its about a teenager coming to terms with his emotions that are confusing which is something everyone experiences at some point in their lives. Its about not understanding the world in which he lives and being in the awkward stage in live where he is no longer a boy but not yet a men. Its also about loss the loss of innocence and childhood and the loss of someone close through death and growing up. ultimately it has many themes and everyone can relate to as they themselves have expe

The Catcher In The Rye