In the end of the novel The Catcher In the Rye by J. Salinger Holden has his epiphany which he realizes two things. One is that Phoebe needs him as a brother, a role model, and as a friend. He also realizes that if he leaves no one will protect Phoebe and that will destroy Phoebe's life.
Holden is very close to Phoebe and Phoebe is very close to him. Phoebe already lost one brother and it must have devastated her just like it devastated Holden. Phoebe is also not close to D.B. because he moved away to California. Holden is Phoebe's only brother that she still has. She has gotten very close to Holden and if he left she will have no brothers to talk to or help her when she needs help. Phoebe could not let Holden leave without her, she says to Holden :.
I'm going with you. Can't I go with you? Holden? Can't I? Please.Why can't I? Please, Holden I won't do anything- I'll just go with you, that's all! I won't even take my clothes with me if you don't want me to. Please, Holden. Please let me go.(Salinger, p206).
This shows that Phoebe could not bear to lose another brother she was begging Holden to let her go with him and when he said no she started crying.
When Holden visits Phoebe's school he sees all the filth on the walls and wants to protect her from it :.
. I saw something that drove me crazy. Somebody'd written "F**k you' on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and how they'd wonder what the hell it meant. I hardly even had the guts to rub it off the wall with my hand. But I rubbed it out anyway, finally. (Salinger,p201).
Holden rubbed it out of the wall to protect Phoebe from this bad language. He realized that if he left no one would rub stuff out to protect Phoebe from this bad.
The carousel in the park is a scene of closure that shows how Holden changed throughout the book. In the beginning of the book he is watching the football game but he is on top of a hill away from everyone.
