J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, was published in the early 1950's, a time of refinement and standardized ways of living. Salinger experienced firsthand the terrors of World War II, as well as life in America during an uncertain time. Salinger's early influences at school and in the war shaped his views and are shown throughout his works. Through his experiences, and due to the unsure nature of the period, Salinger has written some of the most influential and essential works of literature of the 20th century, despite offensive and morally questionable topics such as sex and profanity.
[...] The novel was a huge success, different from anything like the literature of the time, and achieved near cult status. Salinger, a recluse, temporarily escaped from his sudden fame by sailing to Europe, and demanded his picture be removed from later printings of the novel. After his return from Europe in 1952, Salinger continued to escape by fame by settling in a rural area, and remained publicly unavailable to his death (Bruni). The Catcher in the Rye enjoyed immediate critical praise, despite the presentation of debatable issues during a conservative age in America. [...]
[...] In 1960, the debate of the use of The Catcher in the Rye in classrooms erupted; teachers began losing their jobs due to requiring their students read the novel, libraries banned the book from their shelves, and public debates blew up across the world. However, organizations including the American Library Association and the America Association of University Professors have been forerunners in the fight against censorship of The Catcher in the Rye, and to this day the novel still poses a moral issue in many rural school districts (Pinsker 33). [...]
[...] Conservative views dominated the mindset of America, and this shift towards a standardized and conventional life contributed to one of the many aspects of culture that Salinger criticizes in his novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Society was restricted to certain ideals, and individual freedom was challenged in the 1950's as regularity was directly imposed upon the people of the nation. Due to these conservative trends in the time, a mixed response in the release of Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye resulted in the novel becoming one of the most banned books of the century. [...]
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