Conclusion
“I also say "Boy!" quite a lot. Partly because I have a lousy vocabulary and partly because I act quite young for my age sometimes. I was sixteen then, and I'm seventeen now, and sometimes I act like I'm about thirteen. It's really ironical, because I'm six foot two and a half and I have gray hair. I really do. The one side of my head--the right side--is full of millions of gray hairs. I've had them ever since I was a kid. And yet I still act sometimes like I was only about twelve. Everybody says that, especially my father. It's partly true, too, but it isn't all true. People always think something's all true. I don't give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age. Sometimes I act a lot older than I am--I really do--but people never notice it. People never notice anything,” (Salinger).
Overall, The Catcher in the Rye is a book that defines adolescence so well that it still endears 60 years after publication. The character of Holden Caulfield feels like a teen trying to figure out life and find himself. The character of Holden Caulfield is a big reason the book is still popular. “Idiomatic, profane, both antiestablishment and invested in the establishment, the novel becomes over the next sixty years a book that tens of millions around the world read and love and see as almost a user’s manual for disaffected adolescence," (Shields). He feels like a real confused teenager who is stuck between childhood and adulthood. He speaks in such a way that feels real for him. Holden is an unreliable narrator, but he's so honest about his feelings, feelings most readers have experienced at one time or another. (I know I have acted both younger and older than my age!) "
Cultural icons are remembered over time because they are powerful and speak to the masses. Powerful books such as Catcher are oftentimes deemed controversial and face banning by the public. Books such as this must remain available to the public. The history of controversial books that are often challenged is important because society has to remember that censorship is not the answer. If a person is offended by a book, he/she does not have to read it. People's right to read what they want does not give them the right to dictate what others read.
"People value books either because of their contents or because of their physical characteristics. First editions of important literary or historical works and initial reports of scientific discoveries or inventions are prime examples of books that are important because of their contents. Illustrated books that give a new interpretation of a text or are the work of an esteemed artist are also valued. Books that were suppressed or censored may be both important and scarce, since few copies may have survived," (Your Old Books).
It is important to remember controversial books because they might eventually disappear. If we keep the conversation going, chances are books like The Catcher in the Rye will remain in the public lexicon and more people will stand up against censorship.
Cultural icons are remembered over time because they are powerful and speak to the masses. Powerful books such as Catcher are oftentimes deemed controversial and face banning by the public. Books such as this must remain available to the public. The history of controversial books that are often challenged is important because society has to remember that censorship is not the answer. If a person is offended by a book, he/she does not have to read it. People's right to read what they want does not give them the right to dictate what others read.
"People value books either because of their contents or because of their physical characteristics. First editions of important literary or historical works and initial reports of scientific discoveries or inventions are prime examples of books that are important because of their contents. Illustrated books that give a new interpretation of a text or are the work of an esteemed artist are also valued. Books that were suppressed or censored may be both important and scarce, since few copies may have survived," (Your Old Books).
It is important to remember controversial books because they might eventually disappear. If we keep the conversation going, chances are books like The Catcher in the Rye will remain in the public lexicon and more people will stand up against censorship.