Holden experiences a major breakthrough in the scene in which he sits watching Phoebe ride the carrousel. He is finally able to accept that adulthood is inevitable, and that it is necessary for him to give up holding on to childhood innocence, and thus his healing process begins.
             In this scene, Holden hits a turning point in which he realizes that innocence cannot be protected. This understanding is dissident to Holden's previous opinions in an earlier chapter of the book in which he confides to Phoebe his dream of being a "catcher in the rye". He explained how he wanted to stand at the edge of the cliff, protecting childhood innocence from the fall into adulthood. In this scene, however, the carrousel becomes the rye field with the kids playing in it. He observes the children on the horses as they try to grab for the gold ring, and he worries that Phoebe may fall off the carrousel. But instead of Holden wanting to save the kids, he decides not to do anything at all: "The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them." This is an important moment of enlightenment for Holden, because he is finally willing to accept the reality of life, that change is inevitable. Despite the drenching rain soaking him, Holden sits experiencing the happiest moment he has had throughout the entire book. He accepts the world for how it is, and is done fighting it. This realization is a tremendous step towards accepting he must mature eventually, and perhaps now he can begin the process of introspection and healing that he needs.
             ...