I just finished reading the catcher in the rye and the ending was a bit sad. Holden meets up with Phoebe to talk, but he waits for her for a long time before she shows up. When she does, she comes with one of his old suitcases filled with some of his clothes from home. He takes her to the zoo, and they talk for a while before he pays he pays for her to go on a ride. He is filled with happiness. When it’s time for him to leave, Phoebe begs to come with him, but he denies and tells her that she cant. He tells her that he is not leaving and he will go home at the end of the walk at the park.
“Then the carousel started, and I watched her go round and round…All the kids tried to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she’d fall off the goddam horse, but I didn’t say or do anything.”
He had many thoughts when phoebe was on the carousel, the thoughts that were made clear to us showed that he was afraid of something, it shows that he was afraid of her falling of or injuring herself on the ride, but he is probably just scared of missing her too much. At the end, he says:
“Don’t tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody”
These were Holden’s last words to Phoebe before he left. this phrase could have multiple interpretations. The main one tells us that Holden has started to change and is hopeful for the future he has ahead of him, and he is no longer bitter and angered by the thoughts of having to deal with everything and everyone.