What does the album "Little Shirley Beans" represent?

For the protagonist Holden Caulfield, in the novel
The Catcher in the Rye, objects mean more to him than that of human
relationships. Holden holds onto Allie's baseball glove because he knows it is
representative of his brother (Allie has died and it is all Holden has left). The
record, "Little Shirley Beans," is no different.

For
Holden, the album represents his hope that his sister, Phoebe, will remain innocent.
When watching Phoebe on the carousal, Holden breaks down. He knows that she is growing
to grow up and he fears this. Holden's obsession with phonies rules his life. Holden is
afraid that if Phoebe grows up, without him there, she may become a
phony.

The record, therefore, allows Phoebe to possess
something that will remind her of Holden after he is gone--much like Allie's mit is a
reminder for Holden. It is Holden's hope that the record will remind her of Holden and
she will not become something he hates.