The Catcher in the Rye is a story that speaks of situations that didn’t necessarily happen, but do happen to real people. It should be a considered a required book in many classrooms, but for many different reasons it is banned from most of them. I’m going to explain why I think this or you may never know why this book is such an amazing piece of literature.
One reason many people are upset about this book is because there are that fights happen in this book. But critics are not looking at the causes of the fights. Holden Caulfied, the main character, does get in a few fights. I do admit that. But mostly his character is very passive. When these fights do occur, Holden is able to stand up for himself and be courageous. Like when Marice, the man who is in charge of the elevator, tells Holden that he owes him money and Holden believes he doesn’t, Holden is able to stand up for himself, even though he doesn’t win. Which is how it usually goes in real lifd. So it is easier to believe. Even though some people think that having fights in the book is a bad, it’s not, because it can help teach how to be courageous and stand up for what is right.
Some people are a little bit uncomfortable to read about fighting. And The Catcher in the Rye tends to get that reaction that on many different subjects, like suicide, underage drinking and smoking, and sex. But talking about these things can help people be more knowledgeable, and have a better overall understanding. It’s makes things very difficult when someone is depressed and on the verge of suicide and no one can ever talk about it. My mother started feeling a little like that, when she was my age and her parents didn’t want to talk about it. So she got really depressed and she ended up going though a lot. After she was better and she had me and my brothers and sisters, she told us throughout our childhood about some of the things she had to go through, the good and the bad, so we knew what to do whenever we got stuck in those kinds of situations. I know it was hard for her to talk about, but in the end it has been better for me, knowing how to cope with theses taboo subjects. Most people say that talking about taboo subjects or reading about them is going to make people go out and do them, but not talking about them is going to just make people more curious. Being able to hear from a fictional character like Holden talk about them is good.
The thing I think is the best about The Catcher in the Rye is that the author understands the minds of teenagers. Which is hard to do for most classic pieces of literature. I believe that J. D. Salinger knows what it going through the minds of many American teenagers, and has found a way to write it down so they understand. He has written about a realistic teenage character, you could read this book for five minutes and already believe that Holden Caulfield is a real character. He has complex good things and bad in his character. Take for example how he feels about women and girls. He thinks that some are dumb, some are pretty, and some you just can’t figure out. In real life, I’m sure that some or a lot of guys feel that way. I don’t know why some people think it is bad to have a flawed character. I think it is better and more believable to have flawed characters.
In the end The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is an amazing tale that it bound to bring many types of readers and should not be banned from any classroom or library.
