Abstract: The controversy behind J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye revolves around the problems Holden faces growing up. The reasoning behind it being banned is our society is being criticized. Some think by avoiding the book, young adults will be “protected” from these issues when really they’ll have to deal with them in the future regardless.
J.D. Salinger utilizes Holden’s perceptions of individuals’ and groups of peoples’ actions and words as a way to judge society. He continually speaks about what others are doing rather than himself; his main problem with society is that, “Holden’s enemy is the adult world and the cruelty and artificiality” (Chen). Using Holden to point out other characters’ hypocrisy, superficiality, and falseness …show more content…
Salinger handles Holden’s thoughts of other people in a way that criticizes society. Almost every time Holden interacts with another person he immediately judges them soon after. During the novel, one of Holden’s iconic words he uses is, “phony”. He calls many people and things this and in doing so he brings out the superficiality, hypocrisy, and the falseness in society. While Holden uses “phony” 35 times in the book (Statistical) to describe others he never points out the phoniness in himself and for Holden, “Phoniness . . . stands as an emblem of everything that’s wrong in the world around him and provides an excuse for him to withdraw into his cynical alienation” (Chen). Holden withdraws from society, implying that there is a lot wrong with the world, however he cannot see what’s wrong in himself. The idea of hypocrisy in the novel is pretty prominent. While Holden is constantly seeing and pointing out the hypocrites around him, he never speaks on any flaws he may have. Holden judges hypocrites although he is one himself and Salinger takes that and uses it to criticize society. Salinger …show more content…
The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most widely banned books in today’s society, and reading, or not reading the book says a lot about people. Salinger points out a lot of things wrong with society in the novel and it has many controversial topics within it, these topics and issues are so real and prominent it only adds to the fact that, “ No postwar American novel has been subjected to more-and-more intense-efforts to prevent the young from reading it” (Whitfield). Ironically, parents are wanting to keep children’s innocence untouched, which is exactly what Holden was doing throughout the novel. Holden wanted to keep children from the harshness of the real world and in his journey to do so, Salinger criticizes society. Parents wanting to protect their children from the realness of the world and the “obscene” things in society is pretty telling about how people act towards books that highlight problems and real life
J.D. Salinger utilizes Holden’s perceptions of individuals’ and groups of peoples’ actions and words as a way to judge society. He continually speaks about what others are doing rather than himself; his main problem with society is that, “Holden’s enemy is the adult world and the cruelty and artificiality” (Chen). Using Holden to point out other characters’ hypocrisy, superficiality, and falseness …show more content…
Salinger handles Holden’s thoughts of other people in a way that criticizes society. Almost every time Holden interacts with another person he immediately judges them soon after. During the novel, one of Holden’s iconic words he uses is, “phony”. He calls many people and things this and in doing so he brings out the superficiality, hypocrisy, and the falseness in society. While Holden uses “phony” 35 times in the book (Statistical) to describe others he never points out the phoniness in himself and for Holden, “Phoniness . . . stands as an emblem of everything that’s wrong in the world around him and provides an excuse for him to withdraw into his cynical alienation” (Chen). Holden withdraws from society, implying that there is a lot wrong with the world, however he cannot see what’s wrong in himself. The idea of hypocrisy in the novel is pretty prominent. While Holden is constantly seeing and pointing out the hypocrites around him, he never speaks on any flaws he may have. Holden judges hypocrites although he is one himself and Salinger takes that and uses it to criticize society. Salinger …show more content…
The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most widely banned books in today’s society, and reading, or not reading the book says a lot about people. Salinger points out a lot of things wrong with society in the novel and it has many controversial topics within it, these topics and issues are so real and prominent it only adds to the fact that, “ No postwar American novel has been subjected to more-and-more intense-efforts to prevent the young from reading it” (Whitfield). Ironically, parents are wanting to keep children’s innocence untouched, which is exactly what Holden was doing throughout the novel. Holden wanted to keep children from the harshness of the real world and in his journey to do so, Salinger criticizes society. Parents wanting to protect their children from the realness of the world and the “obscene” things in society is pretty telling about how people act towards books that highlight problems and real life