Underground Knowledge — A discussion group discussion

Excerpt from The Catcher in the Rye Enigma: J.D. Salinger's Mind Control Triggering Device or a Coincidental Literary Obsession of Criminals?


These days, The Catcher in the Rye is ‘required reading’ in most high school English courses in the US and throughout much of the Western world. This despite the fact it has been banned by various schools and libraries, and criticized by numerous parent and teacher groups as being immoral literature due to its use of profanity and themes of excessive rebellion and alienation.

The fact it’s now required reading has inspired some conspiracy theorists – most probably of the Tinfoil Hat variety – to envisage a grand conspiracy in which mind control is being conducted on a mass scale in order to corrupt, pacify or otherwise control today’s youth.

Reclusive Guns N’ Roses lead singer Axl Rose took part in an online chat on December 12, 2008 on the GNR fan community site. When a fan asked him about a song he’d written called Catcher N’ The Rye on GNR’s new album Chinese Democracy, Axl’s responses seem to indicate he believed the theory that the novel can incite violent acts when read by certain individuals.

“For me,” he said, “the song is inspired by what’s referred to sometimes as Holden Caulfield Syndrome...I feel there’s a possibility that how the writing is structured with the thinking of the main character could somehow re-program, for lack of a better word, some who may be a bit more vulnerable, with a skewed way of thinking.”

Axl also mentioned he felt that the novel is “utter garbage” and said he agrees “wholeheartedly that it should be discontinued as required reading in schools”.

I have wondered about this myself. The first time I read the Catcher I felt there was little if no benefit to my time invested. There seem to be a noise about the book in the way it is written. What I mean is that is you read the book six times you are desensitized to the swearing and God's name in vain aspects. You start to pick up other patterns. Now I may have been more sensitive to this having been raised in a very religious household. But it was something that I noticed the Catcher did do...wear down my repulsion of such language. I personally can see the usefulness of it now. To me it is like patriotism it becomes a block to seeing. As long as one has this block, like any dogma or ridged thinking it becomes a blinder. Religion has as much to do with war as patriotism. It values death! It sells life insurance....albeit eternal life. It probably drums up business....war does. So now I understand but at first it irritated me. But I wouldn't be surprised if this could be defined as some kind of brainwashing technique.

Any thoughts on this?

I am not an atheist, but I a god that has grown with me. I changed and since I am made in his image, his imaged changed as well.:-)

The Catcher in the Rye Enigma: J.D. Salinger's Mind Control Triggering Device or a Coincidental Literary Obsession of Criminals? covers more on this issue.

Cosmic wrote: "The first time I read the Catcher I felt there was little if no benefit to my time invested. There seem to be a noise about the book in the way it is written. ..."

A lot of people say that. Seems to be a book that people like better if they decide to read it a 2nd time...many don't bother of course.

100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature

I find it so baffling that someone could have read this book and then felt like committing such awful violence. In my view, Holden was very protective of innocence and it gave me peace to read the book and even more fuel, I guess, to do the same.

I was in high school when I read it for the first time. That was back in the early 80's and it seemed very dated to me then. I see it as more of a timepiece for mid 20th century angst.