Arguments Against Banning Catcher In The Rye

The Catcher in the Rye

By: JD Salinger

Why The Catcher in the Rye Should Not be Banned

By: Ryan Gash

By: Ryan Gash

There are people who would like to see The Catcher in the Rye banned from our schools because it contains disturbing issues. In my opinion they are overlooking the message that J.D. Salinger was trying to communicate. In this novel, the characters exhibit a wide scope of behaviors from honorable to ignominious. The novel presents issues such as respect for religion, or lack thereof. As though these issues were not enough by themselves, there is also the subject of intolerance of others. How, may you ask, should this novel be allowed in our schools? Well, the answer lies deep within the symbolism of the novel, not in the text itself. While this novel contains controversial issues, it teaches us significant lessons including moral behavior, religious acceptance and tolerance of others.

Holden Caulfield, the main character in the novel, has many problems, one of which is his moral behavior. Some of his behaviors are good and some are reprehensible. One example of a good behavior is his respect for women. He will always stop "necking" when they say to stop. He wants to protect all women because he feels that they are the victims of society. Holden also displays some negative behaviors, one of which is his habit of drinking and smoking although he is underage. He attempts to order alcoholic beverages at bars, but because he is often carded he has limited success. The author portrays Holden as stupid and a humiliation to our society. With this portrayal, we are able to comprehend that underage smoking and drinking are not good habits. Holden also has an inclination to curse when something happens that he doesn't like. Many of the things that bother Holden would not be viewed as aggravating by the average person. Holden's verbal outbursts make him appear to be unsophisticated. In reality, he just says what pops into his mind, not trying to offend others. He also is somewhat confused about his own perspective on fighting. He says he doesn't have anything worth fighting for, yet he tries to hit Stradlater when he won't tell him what he and Jane Gallagher did on their date. While Holden considers himself somewhat of a "pacifist," he does care enough about certain things in his life that he is willing to fight for them. This devotion should be respected, not frowned upon.

Holden's moral behaviors are not the only things that he should consider improving. Holden also seems to have a lack of respect toward religion. We hear him say that he doesn't really like the twelve disciples but he does like Jesus. He says his reason is because the disciples didn't help Jesus while he was alive. This particular idea of Holden's is totally askew. He evidently has not understood the Bible clearly and therefore his feelings may be derived from his misinterpretations. He also mentions that he considers himself an atheist because religion seems to be too much for him. Holden seems to have had too many negative experiences for him to be able to believe in God. This is all ironic though because when he talks to the nuns he insists upon giving them a $10 donation and attempts to pay for their lunch but they do not allow him to. I believe that Holden truly believes in God and is just waiting until something good happens for him to be able to start having "faith."

Holden's lack of religious knowledge is not the only thing that Holden is intolerant of; he also is intolerant of most people. Holden's lack of respect for nearly everyone makes accepting problems and shortcomings in others a central theme in the novel. One group of people