We learn that Phoebe is a good student but she is best in spelling. What she really seems best at, though, is being Phoebe. Her notebooks reveal a 10-year-old with a rich imagination, deep secrets to share with friends, and a healthy curiosity about her own identity. Although she wonders who she is, she clearly is not lost as Holden is. Holden finds stability in his younger sister.
Some of Phoebe’s charm derives from the fact that she is only 10 years old, and Holden (like Salinger) values the innocence and authenticity of childhood. She is passionate about sharing a special movie with her best friend, Alice. Elephants “knock her out,” and she wears blue pajamas with red elephants on the collars. A leading role (as Benedict Arnold) in the school play thrills her; she insists that Holden must attend Friday night’s performance. Phoebe shares Holden’s tendency toward digression, to the point that he has to interrupt her three times to discover when their parents are scheduled to return.
Phoebe is also a compassionate person, a girl with a heart. When Holden shows her the smashed recording of “Little Shirley Beans,” Phoebe instantly senses the importance of the gift and wants to save the pieces, which she sticks in the drawer of her nightstand. She seems considerably more concerned about Holden’s dismissal from Pencey than he is.
