Although the novel The Catcher and the Rye is a very controversial novel because of the vulgar language, almost every classic book ever written has created a big controversy at one point in time. Although the vulgarity of the language in the novel is inappropriate, it helps reveal the purpose and theme of which the novel portrays.
This book has been steeped in controversy since it was banned in America after it’s first publication. John Lennon’s assassin, Mark Chapman, asked the former Beatle to sign a copy of the book earlier in the morning of the day that he murdered Lennon. Police found the book in his possession upon apprehending the psychologically disturbed Chapman.
Of the many criticisms I have read on Catcher in the Rye, I found most, if not all, to be clear and accurate. Most claim that Salinger’s use of excessive amateur swearing and course language made Holden’s character monotonous and phony.
Some of the negative reviews of the book I found were quite humorous. One website specializes in summarizing books in just one sentence. It seemed to have a ot to say about Cather And The Rye; Angst angst angst swear curse swear crazy crazy angst swear curse, society sucks, and I’m a stupid jerk. The End
Book-A-Minute Classics
TCITR is the favorite book of Douglas Hofstadter, Winona Ryder, Bill Gates, Jane Pauley, Robert Cormier and Pete Sampras
The Essay on Offensive Language Swear Word
Offensive Language Throughout the day, I find myself exposed to harsh language. Whether in at work or walking through the hallways at school, it is all around us. Later, as I accelerate through rush-hour traffic, I discover that I use these words as well, lashing out with blunt verbal terms in the safety of my enclosed vehicle. I have used bad language before, but I do use it often. I have friends ...
Green Day has a song called “Who Wrote Holden Caulfield”.
Mr. Salinger’s rendering of teen-age speech is wonderful: the unconscious humor, the repetitions, the slang and profanity, the emphasis, all are just right.
New York Times, July 16, 1951
However, the book itself contains nothing that could be attributed with leading Chapman to act as he did. It could have been any book that he was reading the day he decided to kill John Lennon – and as a result of the fact that it was The Catcher in the Rye, a book describing a nervous breakdown, media speculated widely about the possible connection. This gave the book even more notoriety. So what is The Catcher in the Rye actually about?
Holden offers more insight to the average teenage lost soul than most anything out there
I have no i dea why this work is so popular; it is equivolent to a PG-13 movie about a teenager that lacks a plot.
. Holden is not a person to be admired, praised, or emulated; he is a rather whiny,pathetic, and confused boy. But what makes the character remarkable is that most people have a little Holden ranting inside them. For those who can’t relate and find him disturbing, perhaps they should ask why he is so annoying. And maybe they’ll learn something
The rather ‘simple’ language with ‘bad words’ used here is essential to giving the book its reality since the narrator is supposed to be a 16yr old.
Amateur swearing and course language are pointed out as large issues which make the book monotonous and phony. Salinger did not put the language into the story to make the novel sound childish but to show Holden Caulfield as he really is. I goes beyond language and maybe if the critics went beyond and seriously looked at the message that Salinger has built into the novel, it, then, doesn’t seem any longer to hold any issues of boredom and phoniness. In contrast. the message is a true reflection of life, and Holden’s wishes and dreams reflect the feelings of many adolescents at one time or another
To be honest, the course language did not bother me as much as the unrealistic use of course language. Holden would be talking about “the goddam ducks,” and I got the feeling Salinger did this for attention (much as a teen might curse to get attention).
The Review on Catcher In The Rye Holden Book World
The theme that the world has an outward appearance that seems fair and perfect but really they " re as Holden put it "phonies." This is shown countless amount of times in his journey through New York and even before he left. The setting is in the 1950's; so I'm pretty sure that he didn't encounter any transvestites, lesbians, or anything that extreme of phoniest. Or on the other hand he could have ...
Once again, I wonder if the issue at hand is a product of carefully planned thought, satire, or just plain ignorance
