The Catcher in the Rye Ch. 14: Maurice Returns and Holden Gets Hit | Banned Books Podcast

Holden Caulfield starts this chapter talking to his dead brother Allie in an empty hotel room at dawn, and it only gets heavier from there. Maurice the elevator pimp and Sunny come back for the money Holden insists he doesn't owe, and what follows is a confrontation that leaves Holden on the floor in his pajamas imagining a revenge movie that will never happen.

Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books chapter by chapter — we don't read ahead, so you're discovering the story with us.

Things To Listen For:

• Jennifer catches that Holden's favorite person in the Bible — the lunatic cutting himself with stones in the tombs — is basically Holden describing himself
• Dan keeps forgetting this is all still the same night as the Stradlater fight
• Jennifer argues she'd stand on principle too, and Dan says that worries him about her
• Holden's elaborate movie revenge fantasy after getting punched, complete with Jane bandaging his guts while holding his cigarette

Why was The Catcher in the Rye banned? This chapter features a teenager hiring a prostitute, getting shaken down by a pimp, religious questioning that dismisses the disciples and organized religion, and a passing reference to suicidal thoughts — exactly the kind of raw, honest adolescent experience that book banners want to pretend doesn't exist.

If this is your first episode, you're fine starting here. Our fact-checking Robot catches you up fast, then we read the next chapter (spoilers).

Banworthy to Bingeworthy

This week we've got two podcasts worth checking out:

• Dateline: Trace of Suspicion — A young Marine and the woman who didn't care about convention built a life together. Then one night the Marine died, and the death investigation took a wild, unexpected turn. Hosted by Josh Mankiewicz.
• MSNOW Presents: Clock It — Simone Sanders Townsend positions herself at the intersection of culture and politics, breaking down what's happening in the news so you can start to clock it too. New episodes drop Thursdays.

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Disclaimer

Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for the purpose of criticism, commentary, education, and entertainment, in accordance with fair use guidelines.

The material used from the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is shared under these principles, with the intent of provoking thought and discussion about literature, censorship, and societal issues. The original work remains fully owned by its copyright holders, and we strongly encourage listeners to purchase a copy here to experience the book in its entirety.

This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to J.D. Salinger, his estate, or the publishers of The Catcher in the Rye. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed.

Topics Covered: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, Chapter 14, Holden Caulfield, Allie Caulfield, Maurice, Sunny, Arthur Childs, Bobby Fallon, Jane Gallagher, religion and atheism, self-destruction, grief and guilt, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast