The significance of the character Phoebe

In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield has a sister named Phoebe who is very important to the story. Phoebe is Holden's kid sister and lives with her parents in New York City. She deeply loves her brother Holden and he feels the same way about her. One of the reasons that Phoebe is so important is because we can see Holden's admiration for childhood directed towards her. Holden often remarks that she kills him with the things she says. Holden loves anything about her from her exuberance to being Benedict Arnold in the school play to her sweet childish innocence (Salinger 220). The only time that Holden seems truly happy in this book is when he is watching Phoebe ride the carousel at the end of the novel (Salinger 275). I think that he cannot but help to notice the pure childish joy she experiences from the ride. This joy is appealing to Holden, and it makes Holden happy seeing her so happy. From Holden's feelings toward Phoebe the reader can tell how much more the experiences of childhood is appealing to him than adulthood.

Another way that Phoebe is important in the story is that she understands Holden like no other character in the story does. For example, when Holden goes to visit Phoebe, she suddenly asks him if he likes anything at all (Salinger 220). Holden replies that he likes talking to her, but Phoebe knows that this is not a real answer (Salinger 223). I think that this is a very important point for Holden when Phoebe asks him that question. Phoebe's question frustrates Holden because he cannot concentrate and think of anything that he likes (Salinger 220). Phoebe has asked Holden something that no one else has in the story, and this shows that she sees her brother's indifference to the world around him. Through her question the reader is also given some more insight into Holden's personality, and how extreme his indifference is.

Bibliography: Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and, 1991. Print.