Catcher in the Rye Persuasive Essay

     The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger has been a very important book in the United States. It has won several awards as well as it has been banned in many different states in that country. It is about a 16-year-old named Holden Caulfield who got kicked out of a prep school and goes to New York to experience a new life. This novel has made a big controversy all around the country and many people think it should or it shouldn't be taught in schools. My personal opinion about this book is that it shouldn't be taught at any school.

     This book is a good book to be read in schools because it shows a life about a teenager who doesn't care about his school nor his responsibilities. The story teaches you that you shouldn't be like Holden and that you should care about school because it is important to your life. Holden sees school as something unnecessary in life and that is why he got kicked out of many of them. This is also another reason why I believe he went to New York before getting kicked out.

     Another reason why this is a good book to be taught is that Holden is a teenager, like any other in any school. Many teens could reflect on his offensive language and smoking/drinking problem and change the way they are. I believe this because many of the teens may recognize with him and see how bad it is to be like him. You can see many people in college or in schools that act like him, are expelled from schools, and although it was written in the 1950's, Holden's behavior is still seen in the modern teenagers.

     Many people think that The Catcher in the Rye is a inappropriate book to be taught at schools for its sexual content, offensive language, and Holden's drinking/smoking habits. Violence also appears in the book, for example when he fights with elevator operator, and it is also used against the book. I think that all of these things said are already being exposed in movies and in T.V series, so I don't see anything wrong with the novel. Swearing and drinking are seen a lot in the teenagers these days, so there is not much to hide from this book.

     In conclusion, I think this is a very good book to be taught in schools. It shows how you should be responsible and how you should manage alcohol. It also shows how school and education is important and how you would look if you don't apply to it. Many people criticize that it has a very offensive language and that it teaches too much about sexuality, but I think all of this is already shown in the T.V and movies. I personally read and enjoyed The Catcher in the Rye.