Holden and Phoebe

Holden and Phoebe seem to get along very well together. Phoebe also seems to be the only person Holden really cares about. I know this because throughout the entire time he is in New York he thinks about what it would be like if Phoebe were here with him, and he is speaking of dropping in and "shooting it" with her all the time. Anyone else is phony because of one small flaw in their personality that most people would not even catch on to. Phoebe acts very mature, more so than Holden, even though she is six years younger than him. This may be why they can interact together so well. She understands his problems and knows when he will be in trouble. Phoebe knows that whenever Holden gets expelled that her father is furious and she knows that he will be again this time also(Salinger,224). She socializes with other kids very well too but she finds some of them to be immature just because they are not as mature and smart as her. which I find very funny. Holden knows that he can confide in his sister and she will not their parents because I do not think that she wants to see her brother in trouble and she does not want to see her parents upset. They seem to care deeply for each other like family should and I believe that Phoebe will be very important to her brother's development into an adult because she is mature enough to know that we all have to grow up sometime and she can help Holden get past his fear of natural change.

Six years separates the two, but Holden and Phoebe act as if they were twins. They dance together, talk about very important problems in each others life and can trust the other to help them with these struggles even though they may seem small. Phoebe also lends him money because she knows that she can trust her brother to pay it back even though it was all of her Christmas money.

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print