Since its publication in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye has received vociferous criticism because of its seeming foul language and poor role models. However, the so called foul language is only skin deep, and the importance of the issues addressed, including growing up, sex, death, responsibility for one’s actions, and life in general, outweighs the negative aspects. J.D. Salinger’s use foul language is more effective than plain language, and rather, helps convey Holden Caulfield’s true feelings. It is because The Catcher in the Rye is often misunderstood as a foul and vulgar book which portrays the life of a disturbed teenager that it has been unfairly censored. Because they have just reached the teenage threshold, and a higher level of maturity, students should be able to study The Catcher In The Rye starting in the eight grade.
When John Milton published Aeropagitica in 1644, it was the first major work arguing against censorship. Milton believed that censorship destroyed God’s purpose to let man exist, by denying the opportunity to let man express his views. Ironically, it was censored. Like Milton, Salinger’s challenge to current moral standards was censored. Salinger asserts that the teenage years are not easy ones. By censoring the novel, critics deny the difficulty of the teenage years. (more…)