On an old-fashioned carousel, like the one Phoebe rides in Central Park at the end of the novel, there is a brass ring that riders can grab as they go around. If one grabs the ring, it usually means the rider will get a prize. So, “grabbing the brass ring” has become a cliché that means going after something or trying to accomplish a fulfilling life. It is important to Holden that Phoebe grab the brass ring as he realizes he cannot keep Phoebe innocent or a child forever. He understands that he needs to let her grow up and live her own life because he recognizes that he can’t protect her from the world. She is going to see all the cuss words written on the wall of the museum they visited. She will leave her childhood behind and go for what life has to offer her. She doesn’t need Holden to be her “catcher in the rye” if she is able to succeed in grabbing the brass ring.
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