The Catcher in the Rye was written in 1951 and for this time period the content of the book was extremely ahead of its time. Its frequent foul language and sexually focused themes have led to it being banned from several school systems across the country since its release. Some people may wonder why Salinger made Holden Caulfiend curse so much. Some may view Caulfield's persistent abusive language as unnecessary and unbecoming for a young man of Holden's age. For example, on page 129, when Caulfield compares his and Sally's skating skills to those of the rest of the people on the ice skating rink in Radio City. He says "...we were the worst skaters on the whole damn rink." She also talks about Sally's ankles bending under her weight on the ice skates, saying, "Not only did they look stupid as hell, they probably hurt like hell." These three instances of offensive language were all in the same paragraph. Which would obviously lead some parents to question the necessity of this excess of vulgarity. If I had to make one statement about why Salinger gave Caulfield a sailor's mouth, it would be because most young adults actually use swear words so much. Of course, it doesn't add much in the way of meaning to the sentence, nor does it make it more interesting other than making the reader chuckle every now and then. In this regard, I can understand both why Salinger created his character this way, but I can also understand why people would be offended by Holden's language. Perhaps another option is to partially censor the book. Release a "PG version" that omits the uses of "GD" but leaves the use of milder swear words like "Hell" or "damn". That way, if people choose not to read the book because it's cheesy, offensive... middle of paper... start thinking about what would be considered "mature" issues in life. So they might be a little less offended by Holden's frequent swearing. I think Catcher In The Rye should be partially banned. By this I mean that its content deals with very mature topics that children under 12 probably shouldn't be exposed to in public schools. Now, if their parents want to let them read it on their own, then that's not the school's problem or anyone else's. Elementary schools should not carry the book because there will always be the possibility that a child will get their hands on the book and take it home later, making their parents see what they took turns reading, making the parents upset at what the school is enabling them. child to read. Works Cited Salinger, JDLa Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. 63. Print.