Banned Book Essay "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. This essay is about why The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger was banned from many states.

Essay by carebear_kroCollege, UndergraduateA-, January 2003

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Banned Book Essay

The Catcher in the Rye

By: J.D. Salinger

"The Catcher in the Rye" is a story of an emotionally disturbed young sixteen year old boy named Holden Caulfield. Holden is telling this story in first person, although the whole thing is all one big flashback. The story is one of a young boy trying to grow up in an adult world, and trying to show that he is an adult. As Holden is learning, there are many depressing things in the world. Holden, being the Idealist that he is, searches to find everything that needs to be changed, but never gives an alternative to the situation or thing.

In the four total days that the story covers, Holden ends up getting himself from Pencey to New York where he and his sister meet. While with his sister, he sees the little girl in her, so innocent to the world around her, that he thinks is so depressing.

He tries to shelter Phoebe from the world by not letting her do the things that he is doing. In a sense, Holden is himself, a hypocrite, by doing particular things and then turning around and telling her not to do them.

The story really begins and ends in the Mental Hospital or Resting Home as he calls it. The story ends with Holden talking to a Doctor as if he were telling the whole story to the doctor. This is a symbolic ending to this story, because Holden always thought that he didn't need to share his depressing stories with other people. Also, he didn't like listening to other people tell him their depressing stories.

"The Catcher in the Rye" was removed from reading lists and libraries in Issaquah, Washington, Middleville, Michigan, North Jackson,