Example Of Essay On Catcher In The Rye Isearch Paper

- What I Know, Assume, or Imagine
Given that the subject of my paper is censorship and book bans, especially as it pertains to the novel The Catcher in the Rye, there are certain things I assume and roughly know about the history of this phenomenon. In essence, censorship and book bans occur when a large group of people (typically concerned parents of students who might be reading the book in class) pressure a school or educational body to censor or ban a book in order to protect their children from objectionable content perceived to be in the book. The overall premise behind book banning is that the book is thought to have no redeeming content, thus making it unworthy of inclusion in an educational curriculum. The objectionable content can consist of anything from sexual overtones to harsh language, and even unpopular political beliefs (e.g. a religious or non-religious perspective, Communism/Marxism) that the school’s faculty or neighborhood parents find offensive. The book or books in question are then put on lists of books that are not to be taught in the relevant area, whether it is just one school or entire states or nations.
In the case of The Catcher in the Rye, the main reasons it was banned included mentions of sexual activities and harsh language. Since Holden Caulfield is such a negative, antiheroic character, he is not likely considered to be a good role model for those adolescents who read the book. He is openly disdainful of authority, he goes off on his own without parental supervision, he mocks and ignores established religion, and pursues girls. He is a very rebellious figure, and I presume that much of the reason the book was banned was to avoid glorifying Holden’s behavior to young, impressionable readers. By teaching the book, parents feared that The Catcher in the Rye would rub off on students, causing them to do the same things, like drinking, smoking and having sex. Holden also swears a great deal, leading to similar fears that children who read it would soon start to curse like sailors. The Catcher in the Rye is a prevalent example of why books are often censored or banned; they offend the sensibilities of the society that works to censor it.
- The Search
I went through quite a journey in order to research the topic of The Catcher in the Rye’s censorship. First, I chose to get the very basic information down by looking up boon banning and censorship on Wikipedia; this was not to use it as a definitive source of information, but merely to guide my search onto prevalent opinions and other sources. The bibliographies on the pages, however, were able to give me a few reputable sources to get started on. I then searched academic journal databases such as JSTOR, EBSCOhost and others in order to find scholarly literature in journals (typically in education or English lit journals) about The Catcher in the Rye and its controversial history in education. Of course, I also referred back to the primary source – the novel itself – in order to get some insight into what about the book was specifically objectionable, and to place the complaints and objections in a sort of context. I started with researching the history of book censorship in general, of which there were several books I could find plentiful information on; much of that will be very helpful in determining and proving why books are banned in the first place.
One of the biggest things I looked for was the history of the book’s censorship; I needed to know when the book was censored in order to find out why it was censored. Once I figured out that it was primarily censored in the 60s through the 80s, I chose to look at the overall culture of American history to start to extrapolate what it was about the times that made people object to the content of Catcher in the Rye. To that end, I started looking at the counterculture of the 1960s, the changes that were happening in America’s economy, politics and schooling in the 1970s and 80s, and so on. All of these things contributed to a culture in America that resisted teaching The Catcher in the Rye in schools, and so I believe that understanding that can help contextualize the attitudes of those who censored it.
- What I Discovered
My search lined up fairly closely with my initial assumptions, but provided a great deal of details that were helpful in elucidating my thoughts and putting them into focus. First, I compared my assumptions for why books are censored with the reality of it, and I was mostly right, save for a few things I missed. First, I should note that the process of officially censoring or banning a book (known as “challenging”) is defined by the American Library Association as “an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based on the objections of a person or group” (ALA, 2011). Furthermore, challenges that are successful lead to banning, which legally removes these materials and access to them from libraries and curricula. The ALA has actually stated its agreement with the process of censorship, given the right circumstances, so it is not a completely objectionable idea. There is plenty of literature that discusses the pros and cons of censorship, some of which may be placed in the paper as arguments.
Also, I was more or less correct in my assumptions about why The Catcher in the Rye was specifically banned. The history of its banning has roots in the 1960s, where a Tulsa teacher was fired for having the book in a class assignment; the social and cultural roots of the banning of Salinger’s novel lie in the emphasis on conservative ‘family values,’ which instill codes for good behavior in young children that are rebelled against by Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye. The teenager’s malaise and lack of respect for authority is cited as a reason why teenagers should not be taught the book, as it would encourage bad behavior by their kids. Holden himself is cited as an immoral figure whose behaviors lie outside the norm of mainstream Christian morality, which is the basis for 20th –century American ethics and virtues. The prevalence of sex and drugs in the book also gives parents pause. I feel as though the discoveries I made are very valuable, and can provide a great deal of help to the paper that I am to write. I am glad my assumptions were more or less correct, so I am not starting on the wrong foot, but I now have a lot more information to back up my assertions as to Catcher in the Rye’s content and the reason for its censorship.