The reason for why Holling's sister left for California might change depending on which character that you ask. If you were to ask Holling or Mr. Hoodhood, they would tell you that Heather left for California to "find herself." Holling uses that phrase three times in the novel to explain her actions. That's the most direct information that the reader is given about her motivations for leaving, because Heather never explains exactly why she left. I have a few ideas about what Heather might have said though.
I believe that one reason Heather left for California was because she was in love. Or at least she was in love with the idea of being in love. She left with the boy that she had been seeing quite frequently earlier in the novel. He is never given a name. All that the reader knows is that he drives a yellow VW Bug.
I think another reason was that Heather wanted more freedom. She calls herself a "flower child," which is a part of the entire hippie culture. A large part of hippie culture was freedom focused. Heather felt constrained in her household, because Mr. Hoodhood is a tyrant of a parent only interested in the success of his business. He wouldn't even let Heather apply for college. I believe Heather's main motivation for running away was to simply get away from her father.
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