Sally's different to Holden in that she pretty much accepts life as it is. Breathtakingly shallow and vacuous, she sails through life without a care in the world, unable or unwilling to recognize its darker side. It's difficult to imagine a more contrasting world-view than Holden's. He's acutely aware—too much so, one might argue—of the numerous imperfections of this world and everyone and everything in it. To him, Sally's just the latest in a long, seemingly never-ending line of "phonies," those intensely annoying people who populate Holden's life at every twist and turn.
Having said all that, the fact that Sally's much more grounded than Holden makes her more mature in key respects. For instance, when Holden comes up with a deluded fantasy about their getting married and living together in a remote log cabin, it's Sally who's the grown-up, the one who points out the shortcomings of this crazy...
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scheme. Far from being "phony," Sally's actually behaving like a responsible adult, and it's high time, we might think, that Holden took a leaf out of her book.
Fundamentally, part of the reason why Holden and Sally don't connect is that they view consciousness entirely differently. Holden is trapped between seeking out a vision of reality that is more along the lines of his own hopes and dreams or outright disdain for the setting in which he is immersed. This complexity is not Sally's perception of being in the world. She is quite content with operating inside the parameters of what is in front of her. She does not have any problems thinking about a traditional future, operating within the boundaries of what is expected of her. Her definition of success is a commonly shared one, and is completely divergent from Holden, who might not have the most cogent vision of success. In this light, Sally and Holden possess strict points of contrast to one another.
How does Holden and Sally's conflict reflect their different characters in The Catcher in the Rye?
Holden and Sally argue because Holden proposes that the two get married and run away together. The scene reveals that Holden is desperately lonely and in need of companionship. He is trying to reach out to someone, but his desperation causes him to be unrealistic and overbearing. Sally, on the other hand, appears to be relatively stable, and so she does not need the type of absolute companionship that Holden is proposing. She is happy to simply go on dates and maybe engage in a short term commitment. The two have vastly different needs and priorities, but of course, neither states directly what he/she needs and wants.
In The Catcher in the Rye, how does Holden's conflict with Sally reflect their differing priorities?
Both Holden and Sally reflect being in different places in different times, and yet being in a relationship. Usually, such a configuration does not always work out for the best. This is no exception. Sally seeks a more traditional path in how she conceives of their relationship. Her insistence on college coming first and a more conservative approach to their relationship is in direct opposition to Holden's vision. His conception of the romantic good is one where definition is not really clear. Part of this is because he is not entirely clear about much in his own life, and this is transferred onto their relationship. Holden does know that he disdains what others consider "advantageous," and seeks to find a new path that has not been traversed. In this light, Sally's suggestions are rebuked because there is little authentically new ground featured within them. In this light, Holden does not share the same understanding that Sally does. This might not be a reflection of a bad relationship as much as it displays Holden's own sense of loss, insecurity, and doubt about where he is in the world and his place in it.