The symbolism at the end of Catcher in the Rye was by far my favorite. Holden and his sister Phoebe are in the zoo, and they see the carousel that they remember riding all the time when they were little. Phoebe is convinced that she's too old for it anymore, but Holden convinces her to go for a ride while he watches. As she rides, Holden becomes extremely happy while out in the rain watching her.
I love the symbolism of that. All throughout the novel, Holden is depressed and angry at the world around him. He thinks everyone is phony. He wants to be the catcher in the rye to save the innocence of children of the world. I think seeing Phoebe so simply happy on the carousel gave him hope that we could revert back to that state of joy. It was related to his dream of the rye field in that he had helped bring a child back from the cliff. If Phoebe had gone with him, she would have fallen off the cliff, but in convincing her to enjoy the carousel, he steered her back toward the rye. To me, the heavy rain that falls when he realises this symbolises the washing away of his way of thinking. The symbolic rain represents a fresh start that Holden can use to keep anyone from feeling the way he did.
I just love that idea. I think we all wish at some point to go back to the easy, carefree happiness we had as small children and would be grateful for Holden to reach out and catch us.
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