Catcher in the Rye - For what purpose is it usually "taught" in school? (Read on)?

Question

I have some familiarity with the book and don't necessarily think it's entirely age appropriate for the grades/forms it's taught in. I was provoked to ask this question by a kid who called into a talk show asking what the point of assigning Catcher was supposed to be, given the crimes of Chapman, Hinckley, and others.

Why (IYO) is Catcher - notwithstanding its mature issues and dated situations - taught nowadays?

Do you feel Catcher is inherently harmful; i.e., a justification or inspiration for bad attitudes?

If you learn that your son/daughter was to be assigned Catcher what advice would you give them?

Thanks! *Lobs a side of beef into the aquarium and watches*

Good answers all!

Answer 1

Catcher in the Rye is a book that should not be assigned to anyone under the age of 15, because it would not really be understood by anyone younger. I know many schools are assigning it to younger grades, but I think that is a waste of time, and also could prove unwise regarding some of the more graphic aspects (though I agree, somewhat dated aspects) of the novel. It has nothing to do however, with Chapman or Hinckley or their ilk. Anyway, I have never thought this book was as great as it is deemed (It's OK, but not a great work of literature, and certainly no Gatsby or Mockingbird). Salinger was in my opinion, a very "different" individual, and his books generally reflect that (again, just my opinion). If it has been assigned to you however, you MUST read it, so move on and do so. If it has been assigned to your kid, then the same applies unles syour kid is say 10 years old or younger. Oh yes, and it is assigned every year because the schools are not terribly progressive and they just keep the same reading lists year after boring year. You won't find a lot of diversity and imagination in the US school system with regard to lesson plans and individualized thought.

Answer 2

Read it on my own and the for high school. To this day I don't understand why people want to ban it. If you're super puritanical I guess the part where he gets a hooker could be a problem. And maybe somewhere in backwoods america there is some kid who didn't already know about such things at the age of 15 and their delicate sensibilities were shocked by this. Big deal. If I remember correctly he doesn't even use the hooker. And it's certainly not portrayed as a good thing. It would deter kids from this rather than encourage them. I would not give my children any advice as I would encourage them to think for themselves. What a concept! We should not ban this book beacuse a psychotic was fixated on it. And if we ban it because there are dated situations I guess we should ban all the books taught in high school. Why read Shakespeare when we could teach Danielle Steel and Tom Clancy instead? And the purpose would be education, to teach teenagers to think and develop their own ideas. I do realize that many parents are stridently opposed to this and want their children to think only what they are told by their parents/church. I guess that's what home school is for.
Just to add, if schools are assigning this book before high school I dont agree with that.

Answer 3

I read Catcher in the Rye when I was 12 and then again (for school) when I was 15. It's a coming of age novel that most teenagers can identify with. The angsty, confusing, sexual feelings that the main character Holden Caulfield feels reflect the feelings that most teenagers have. I personally love Catcher in the Rye and all of it's complexities. But to each his own.

Answer 4

It's not a self-help book or and advise book, it's a story, a character depiction and musing on growing up. It is also quite timeless. And it has nothing to do with the actions of crazies like Chapman, Hinkley, etc. The problem with Catcher is the hype, which everyone knows something about. Forget about the hype, read the book and move on.

Answer 5

Catcher in the Rye is taught in school because it is singularly good literature, and children should be learning about literature.

It is the story of a very sensitive boy who wishes the world were different.

He dreams of catching little children running through rye before they fall off of a cliff (into adulthood and disillusionment). Who could find this inappropriate?

Answer 6

Catcher in the Rye is taught because it is a classic book.

I think it is appropriate for high school age students. There is no content that is dirty. Yes, there is a scene involving prostitutes, but nothing dirty comes out of it. I think high school kids can understand how Holden Caulfied feels since most high school kids feel alienated themselves. I would not be upset if my child read in high school.

Answer 7

first and foremost u have to remember that catcher in the rye is a fictional story. it happens to be that the protagonist is a flunked high school kid. theres a reason why he is out of school. every coin has two sides. it is easy to see all the bad things that holden does but at the same time those thing exists in real world. students come across this issues all the time, this book just teaches them how to act and behave with each other.