Holden Caulfield’s return home at the end of The Catcher in the Rye is a crucial moment in the novel. Holden wants to get back to New York so he can see his old school friends and possibly go on a date with Sally Hayes, but he has no money for the train ticket. When he arrives home, he learns that his sister Phoebe has been keeping track of him and knows all about his adventures with Jane Gallagher and Carl Luce.
According to the story, Holden is devastated by this news and feels that Phoebe has betrayed him. As a result, he leaves home again and heads to Central Park to try and make sense of what has happened since he left Pencey.
In the park, Holden meets up with Phoebe again and they talk about their respective experiences over the past few days. Holden realizes that his family cares about him and that they are worried about him, which makes him feel better about returning home again. He also realizes that there is nothing wrong with wanting to protect children from falling off the cliff of life – it’s natural for people to want to do this kind of thing because they care about others so much.
The ending of The Catcher in the Rye is open to interpretation. Holden Caulfield is a complex character, and his thoughts and feelings are often contradictory. Some readers see the ending as optimistic, as Holden has finally begun to deal with his grief and trauma. Others view it as more ambiguous, as Holden is still running away from his problems and has not really resolved anything. Ultimately, the ending of the novel leaves it up to the reader to decide what Holden’s future will hold.
