Defying the Norm: An Analysis of Book Banning

The purpose of this study was to identify common themes in banned books and determine how they compare to the stated reasons they were banned. This study analyzed 10 classic books (Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Sula by Toni Morrison, 1984 by George Orwell, Animal Farm by George Orwell, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain) that are typically seen as notable banned books for five identified themes (Sex, Drugs/Violence, Minorities/LGBTQ+, Religion and Politics). The results of these thematic analyses were then compared with the found reasons they were successfully banned in the United States. The results of the thematic analyses revealed that while no particular theme was overly common among the books, there was an underlying message of defying societal norms. With this, the results of the comparisons revealed a number of inconsistencies, indicating censors’ use of explicit content to limit access to substantively controversial materials. Implications of this study could suggest the previously mentioned mindset of censors, in turn strengthening the messages of defiance within the literature. Future researchers could use a different set of books, reasons for banning in different countries, different forms of literature, etc.