From Twitter 09-25-2010

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Holden Caulfield’s got 99 problems…

In 1960, an English teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma got sacked (and eventually reinstated) for assigning The Catcher in the Rye to an Eleventh Grade class. According to the ALA, JD Salinger’s novel has been one of the most banned and challenged since. While it’s dropped off of the top 10 list over the last decade, it continues to get attention – it was challenged in Missoula, MT as recently as 2009.

Most challenges arise from the book’s liberal use of profanity (Caulfield is inordinately fond of the word “goddamn”), but some challengers also cite sexuality, alcohol abuse, blasphemy, violence, and negativity or immorality. It’s also got some cultural baggage: Mark David Chapman was carrying it when he killed John Lennon.

The language and setting in Catcher isn’t as accessible as it could be in 2010, and most of us don’t ever break down as completely as Caulfield does, but it’s his internal experience that’s striking.

Caulfield is a kid who hurts, who’s struggling harder than his peers to make a transition into adulthood. He’s frustrated with what he sees as a lack of authenticity in individuals and in society. He’s alienated from his peers, is having trouble finding his place. Those adults who present themselves as resources are either impossible for him to relate to or try to take advantage of him.

To say that Catcher is about rebellion is to miss a lot of it. It’s a book about desperation, and a story about collapse. Caulfield isn’t thumbing his nose at the system when he flees school. He’s lost his ability to cope with a system he’s failing to thrive in.

One thing that jumped out at me about it is Caulfield’s experience of sexuality. He’s clearly interested in sex, and pays a lot of attention to others’ sexuality, but his lack of sophistication is a stumbling block. He’s surrounded by unhealthy norms (his peers don’t take no for an answer), and he’s distrustful of adult sexualities, and of “perverts” who don’t fit his narrow understanding of social norms. If I were teaching this book, there’d be a whole discussion session about this.

The Catcher in the Rye didn’t move me deeply, but I enjoyed it. It’s a useful data point in terms of cultural literacy. I can tick another book off of Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels list.

This post has been mirrored from Christian A. Young's Dimlight Archive. To see it in its original format, visit dimlightarchive.com