Holden goes to see Phoebe one last time before he takes off and leaves New York City to go out west. Holden is physically sick and mentally exhausted. Phoebe is Holden’s one last hope to connect with someone who he feels isn’t “phony”. Holden loves Phoebe’s innocence and wants to keep her that way. However, Holden doesn’t realize that it is impossible to keep children young and innocent in the world he lives in. He is still stuck in his grief over his brother, Allie, who died at a young age of leukemia. Phoebe scolds Holden for the things he does wrong, and it is then that Holden begins to realize that he has been spiraling out of control.
Finally, when Holden sees all of the cuss words written on the outside of the Museum of Natural History, he realizes he can’t protect Phoebe forever because he can’t erase all the graffiti in the world. He takes Phoebe to a carousel in Central Park and hopes that she goes for the brass ring, a symbol of achievement and success. This epiphany of Holden’s shows his readiness to get better and try to reconcile the past he so painfully grieves. Holden’s acceptance of getting psychiatric help as seen at the beginning of the book shows that the love he had for Phoebe causes him to get the help he needs.
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