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Angels in America

2006-04-27T02:00:20Z

Jchapman: /* Influences */

[[Image:Angels-in-america-04.jpg|thumb|Angels in America]]

==Factual Information==
==Biography==

==Study Guide==

===Part One: Millennium Approaches===
====Act One: Bad News====
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.1|Act One, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.2|Act One, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.3|Act One, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.4|Act One, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.5|Act One, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.6|Act One, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.7|Act One, Scene 7]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.8|Act One, Scene 8]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 1.9|Act One, Scene 9]]
====Act Two: In Vitro====
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.1|Act Two, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.2|Act Two, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.3|Act Two, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.4|Act Two, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.5|Act Two, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.6|Act Two, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.7|Act Two, Scene 7]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.8|Act Two, Scene 8]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.9|Act Two, Scene 9]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 2.10|Act Two, Scene 10]]
====Act Three: Not-Yet-Conscious, Foward Dawning====
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.1|Act Three, Scene 1]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.2|Act Three, Scene 2]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.3|Act Three, Scene 3]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.4|Act Three, Scene 4]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.5|Act Three, Scene 5]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.6|Act Three, Scene 6]]
#[[Millennium Approaches 3.7|Act Three, Scene 7]]

===Part Two: Perestroika===
====Act One: Spooj====
#[[Perestroika 1.1|Act One, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 1.2|Act One, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 1.3|Act One, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 1.4|Act One, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 1.5|Act One, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 1.6|Act One, Scene 6]]
====Act Two: The Epistle====
#[[Perestroika 2.1|Act Two, Scene 1]]

====Act Three: Borborygmi====
#[[Perestroika 3.1|Act Three, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 3.2|Act Three, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 3.3|Act Three, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 3.4|Act Three, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 3.5|Act Three, Scene 5]]
====Act Four: John Brown's Body====
#[[Perestroika 4.1|Act Four, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 4.2|Act Four, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 4.3|Act Four, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 4.4|Act Four, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 4.5|Act Four, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 4.6|Act Four, Scene 6]]
#[[Perestroika 4.7|Act Four, Scene 7]]
#[[Perestroika 4.8|Act Four, Scene 8]]
#[[Perestroika 4.9|Act Four, Scene 9]]
====Act Five: Heaven, I'm in Heaven====
#[[Perestroika 5.1|Act Five, Scene 1]]
#[[Perestroika 5.2|Act Five, Scene 2]]
#[[Perestroika 5.3|Act Five, Scene 3]]
#[[Perestroika 5.4|Act Five, Scene 4]]
#[[Perestroika 5.5|Act Five, Scene 5]]
#[[Perestroika 5.6|Act Five, Scene 6]]
#[[Perestroika 5.7|Act Five, Scene 7]]
#[[Perestroika 5.8|Act Five, Scene 8]]
#[[Perestroika 5.9|Act Five, Scene 9]]
#[[Perestroika 5.10|Act Five, Scene 10]]
====Epilogue: Bethesda====
#[[Perestroika Epilogue]]

==Characters==

[[The Angel]]

[[Emily]]

[[The Eskimo]]

[[Ethel Rosenberg]]

[[Hannah Porter Pitt]]

[[Harper Amaty Pitt]]

[[Henry]]

[[Joseph Porter Pitt]]

[[Louis Ironson]]

[[The Man in the Park]]

[[Martin Heller]]

[[Mr. Lies]]

[[Norman Arriaga]] AKA: Belize

[[Prior I]]

[[Prior II]]

[[Prior Walter]]

[[Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz]]

[[Roy Cohn]]

[[Sister Ella Chapter]]

[[The Voice]]

[[The Woman in the South Bronx]]

[[Belize]]

==Major Themes==
''Angels in America'' is in many ways a play about conversion.The experience of HIV illness is often conceived as involving a conversion of the self, and Prior's discovery that he has AIDS is depicted in part as making him a new person: I'm a lessionnaire". The Angel's visitation to Prior takes the form of a mission of conversion:given a new identity, Prior is like Joseph Smith, to become Prophet of a new dispensation. Indeed, in the course of the play all its characters undergo startling shifts in identity. Hannah is not only physically transplanted to New York but becomes ''"noticeably different--she looks like a New Yorker''. Roy , who clings tenaciously to his professional status a a lawyer,is disbarred just before his death. Harper moves through a period of dysfunction to strike out on her own, choosing "the real San Francisco, on earth," with its "unspeakable beauty" (Kruger 4).

Kushner uses split scenes to make more explicit the contrapuntal relationship between these seemingly disconnected narrative worlds. Roy's meeting with Joe, to discuss the junior attorney's future as a "Roy-Boy" in Washington, occurs alongside the scene in which Louis is sodomized in the Central Park Rambles by a leather clad mama's boy.Louis's mini-symposium at the coffee shop is simultaneous with Prior's medical checkup at an outpatient clinic. Dreams,ghosts, and a flock of dithering, hermaphroditic angels are also used to break through the play's realistic structure, to conjoin seemingly disparate characters, and to reveal the poetic resonances and interconnectedness of everyday life (McNulty 4).

==Major Symbols==

==Influences==
The biggest influences on this play would defiantly have to be American society. Kushner brings up many problems that he has with the country. Form his problems with President Regan to the discrimination of people in American society.

==Study Questions==
#Many of the gay characters struggle with the question of how their sexuality should be, and several come out in different ways during the course of the play. Discuss the meaning of the ''closet'' — are closeted characters different from uncloseted ones? What implications does coming out have for self and community?
#"It's law not justice," Joe tells Louis during their final breakup. Discuss the themes of law and justice as they appear in the play. Is Joe correct that the two are separate entities? Or does the play encourage a more visionary potential of the law?
#Belize stands out as exceptionally compassionate and good, yet at times seems two-dimensional. Which view is correct? Is Belize a virtuous stereotype or a complex moral authority?
#What does the subtitle "A Gay Fantasia on National Themes" suggest? What national themes are evident in the plays? What is the relationship between "gay" and "national"?
#[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perestroika Perestroika] was the term for Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of political and economic reform in the Soviet Union. In what ways does the play represent the possibility of ''perestroika'' in America? Is this an appropriate title for part two?
#Choosing at least two examples ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Rosenberg The Rosenberg Trial], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_earthquake The San Francisco Earthquake], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl Chernobyl], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_administration The Reagan Administration]), analyze the role of history in the plays. Does Kushner more or less depict events as they happened? If not, what dramatic and thematic purposes does he serve by shading the facts?
#As a "fantasia," ''Angels in America'' is a major departure from prevailing theatrical realism, with detours into the religious and the supernatural — angels, ghosts, apparitions, and visions appear over and over. What effect do these fantastical elements have on the play as a whole? Go beyond a simple analysis of plot to consider the implications for characters, messages, and themes.
#Is there any connection between [[the Angel]], and [[Mr. Lies]].

==Additional Resources==
*[http://www.januarymagazine.com/artcult/angelsinam.html Larger Than Life] - A review of'' Angels in America'' by Tony Buchsbaum.
*[http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/cast/kushner_interview.html HBO Interview with Tony Kusher]

==Works Cited==

* Garner, Stanton B. ''"Angels in America: The Millennium and Postmodern Memory," in Approaching the Millenium, Essays on Angels in America,'' edited by Deborah R. Geis and Steven F. Kruger, University of Michigan Press, 1987: pp.173-84.

* Glenn, Lane A.. "Angels in America." ''Drama for Students''. Gale, 1999.

* Kruger, Steven F. ''"Identity and Conversion in Angels in America."in Approaching the Millennium: Essays on "Angels in America."'' edited by Deborah R. Geis and Steven F.Kruger, University of Michigan Press, 1997: pp. 151-69.

* Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.

* Layman, Bruccoli Clark. ''"Tony Kushner,"in Dictionary of Literary Biography,'' Volume 228: Twentienth Century American Dramatists, Second Series. Edited by Christopher J. Wheatley.

* McNutty, Charles. ''"Angels in America: Tony Kushner's Theses on the Philosophy of History."'' Modern Drama 39,no.1 (Spring 1996): 84-96.

* Meisner, Natalie. ''Messing with the Idyllic: The Performance of Femininity in Kushner's Angels in America''. ''The Yale Journal of Criticism'' 16,no.1 (2003): 177-189.

* Quinn, John R. ''"Corpus Juris Tertium: Redemptive Jurisprudence in Angels in America."'' Theatre Journal 48,no.1 (March 1996): 79-90.

* Trilling, Lionel, et. al. ''Bloom’s Period Studies: Modern American Drama''. Chelsea House Publishers, 2005.

[[Category:Literature]]

Perestroika 3.5

2006-04-27T01:51:30Z

Jchapman: /* External Resources */

==Summary==
Belize goes to Roy's to give him his pills. Roy is on a morphine drip, so he is not his usaual unbearable self. He actually hits on Belize, then he ask Belize what Heaven is like. Belize tells Roy that it is like San Francisco, and they both agree that Roy will not be going to heaven.

==Notes==

==Commentary==
This scene does not seem all that important. It might be there to show us that Roy is not completely heartless, that he does have a decent side, and is capable of being nice.

==Study Questions==
1.What does Belize tell Roy Heaven Looks like?

2.Why is Roy acting so different in this scene?

3.Where does Roy think Belize is going to escort him?

4.Does Roy think he is going to heaven or hell?

==External Resources==
*[http://www.januarymagazine.com/artcult/angelsinam.html Larger Than Life] - A review of'' Angels in America'' by Tony Buchsbaum.
*[http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/cast/kushner_interview.html HBO Interview with Tony Kusher]

==Work Cited==

Perestroika 3.5

2006-04-27T01:49:43Z

Jchapman:

Millennium Approaches 1.9

2006-04-27T01:22:20Z

Jchapman: /* Commentary */

==Summary==
[[Image:Pacino.jpg|right|thumb|''Al Pacino as Roy Cohn'']]
The scene opens with Roy and Henry, his doctor, in Henry's office. Dr. Henry informs Roy that his lesions, throat problem, and swollen glands are all related to Kaposi's sarcomas, meaning that Roy has AIDS. Roy accuses Henry of implying that he is either a drug addict, which must not be the case since there are no "tracks," or a homosexual, since the syndrome mostly afflicts them. Roy then threatens Henry by saying that if Henry does call him a homosexual, he will "destroy" Henry's medical career (50).

Henry does not directly call Roy homosexual but instead says that Roy has slept with many men. Roy then goes off on a rant, saying that Henry is too "hung up on words, on labels" (51). Roy admits to having sex with men, but still insists that he is not homosexual since he has "clout." He then says that he does not have AIDS, he has liver cancer, since "AIDS is what homosexuals have" (52). Henry then says that he cannot get Roy any medication since the new drug AZT has a two-year waiting list.

==Notes==
*'''Kaposi's sarcoma''' (49) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaposi%27s_Sarcoma cancer] of the connective or supportive tissue. Caused by a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpesvirus herpesvirus] infection in which cancerous cells form solid lesions in the connective tissue, KS was one of the first signs of the existence of the 1980s [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS AIDS] epidemic.

*'''lesions''' (49) - abnormal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesion body tissue] caused, in the case of Roy Cohn, by Kaposi's sarcoma.

*'''lymphadenopathy''' (49) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphadenopathy swelling] of one or more [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymph_node lymph node].

*'''oral candidiasis''' (49) - also called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_thrush "oral thrush"], an infection of yeast fungus in the mucous membranes of the mouth. Symptoms include white, cream coloured, or yellow spots in the mouth, and it is often found in people with HIV and AIDS.

*'''Hemophiliac''' (49) - someone with the hereditary genetic illness, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemophilia Hemophilia], which impairs the body's ability to control bleeding.

*'''"the NIH in Bethesda"''' (52) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nih National Institutes of Health], the main agency of the United States government responsible for medical research. The institutes are located in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethesda%2C_Maryland Bethesda], a town in Maryland.

*'''AZT''' (52) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AZT azidothymidine], the first [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiretroviral_drug antiretroviral drug] approved for treatment of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV HIV].

==Commentary==
This is one of my favorite scenes in the play. It has so much feeling and emotion. This is where you really get a feeling for who Roy Cohn is. In the scenes before this we learn that he is a powerful man that does a lot, but here is where Kushner lets you know how he feels about American Ideas. I think what Roy says in this scene sank in more than anything else in the book, because there is no interpreting or wondering what Kushner is trying to say. Roy is the personification of Americas attitude toward homosexuality. When Roy says, “Like all labels they tell you one thing and one thing only; where does an individual so identified sit in the food chain, the pecking order? Not ideology, or sexual taste, something much simpler: clout... homosexuals are men who know nobody and nobody knows. Who have zero clout.(51) ” Those few words are the best way that I have ever heard those American felling stated. Now don’t get me wrong, not all Americans, but a lot of us do feel that way, don’t we have bigger things to worry about?

==Study Questions==
#What illness is Roy diagnosed with?
#How does Roy threaten Dr. Henry?
#For what else has Dr. Henry treated Roy?
#How does Roy define the term "homosexual"?
#Why does Roy not consider himself a homosexual?
#Who does Roy claim he could get on the phone in under five minutes?
#What does Roy call his illness?
#What is the name of the new wait-listed drug that could treat Roy?

==External Resources==
*[http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=09-Dec-2003 Kushner Radio Interview]

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.
-------
[[Angels in America | In Vitro Act 2 Scene 1]]

[[Category:Literature]]

Millennium Approaches 1.9

2006-04-27T01:20:02Z

Jchapman: /* Commentary */

==Summary==
[[Image:Pacino.jpg|right|thumb|''Al Pacino as Roy Cohn'']]
The scene opens with Roy and Henry, his doctor, in Henry's office. Dr. Henry informs Roy that his lesions, throat problem, and swollen glands are all related to Kaposi's sarcomas, meaning that Roy has AIDS. Roy accuses Henry of implying that he is either a drug addict, which must not be the case since there are no "tracks," or a homosexual, since the syndrome mostly afflicts them. Roy then threatens Henry by saying that if Henry does call him a homosexual, he will "destroy" Henry's medical career (50).

Henry does not directly call Roy homosexual but instead says that Roy has slept with many men. Roy then goes off on a rant, saying that Henry is too "hung up on words, on labels" (51). Roy admits to having sex with men, but still insists that he is not homosexual since he has "clout." He then says that he does not have AIDS, he has liver cancer, since "AIDS is what homosexuals have" (52). Henry then says that he cannot get Roy any medication since the new drug AZT has a two-year waiting list.

==Notes==
*'''Kaposi's sarcoma''' (49) - a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaposi%27s_Sarcoma cancer] of the connective or supportive tissue. Caused by a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpesvirus herpesvirus] infection in which cancerous cells form solid lesions in the connective tissue, KS was one of the first signs of the existence of the 1980s [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS AIDS] epidemic.

*'''lesions''' (49) - abnormal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesion body tissue] caused, in the case of Roy Cohn, by Kaposi's sarcoma.

*'''lymphadenopathy''' (49) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphadenopathy swelling] of one or more [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymph_node lymph node].

*'''oral candidiasis''' (49) - also called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_thrush "oral thrush"], an infection of yeast fungus in the mucous membranes of the mouth. Symptoms include white, cream coloured, or yellow spots in the mouth, and it is often found in people with HIV and AIDS.

*'''Hemophiliac''' (49) - someone with the hereditary genetic illness, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemophilia Hemophilia], which impairs the body's ability to control bleeding.

*'''"the NIH in Bethesda"''' (52) - the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nih National Institutes of Health], the main agency of the United States government responsible for medical research. The institutes are located in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethesda%2C_Maryland Bethesda], a town in Maryland.

*'''AZT''' (52) - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AZT azidothymidine], the first [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiretroviral_drug antiretroviral drug] approved for treatment of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV HIV].

==Commentary==
This is one of my favorite scenes in the play. It has so much feeling and emotion. This is where you really get a feeling for who Roy Cohn is. In the scenes before this we learn that he is a powerful man that does a lot, but here is where Kushner lets you know how he feels about American Ideas. I think what Roy says in this scene sank in more than anything else in the book, because there is no interpreting or wondering what Kushner is trying to say. Roy is the personification of Americas attitude toward homosexuality. When Roy says, “Like all labels they tell you one thing and one thing only; where does an individual so identified sit in the food chain, the pecking order? Not ideology, or sexual taste, something much simpler: clout.”and this line “homosexuals are men who know nobody and nobody knows. Who have zero clout.(51) ” Those few words are the best way that I have ever heard those American felling stated. Now don’t get me wrong, not all Americans, but a lot of us do feel that way, don’t we have bigger things to worry about?

==Study Questions==
#What illness is Roy diagnosed with?
#How does Roy threaten Dr. Henry?
#For what else has Dr. Henry treated Roy?
#How does Roy define the term "homosexual"?
#Why does Roy not consider himself a homosexual?
#Who does Roy claim he could get on the phone in under five minutes?
#What does Roy call his illness?
#What is the name of the new wait-listed drug that could treat Roy?

==External Resources==
*[http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=09-Dec-2003 Kushner Radio Interview]

==Works Cited==
*Kushner, Tony. ''Angels in America''. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1995.
-------
[[Angels in America | In Vitro Act 2 Scene 1]]

[[Category:Literature]]

Breakfast at Tiffany's

2006-03-23T13:35:56Z

Jchapman: /* Additional Resources */

==Factual Information==
A [[novel]]/[[novella]] by American writer [[Truman Capote]] published in 1958 by Random House, Inc., New York.

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/capote.htm Truman Capote (1924-1984) - original name Truman Streckfus Persons

==Study Guide==
Below are the thirteen major sections of the [[novella]]. Since Capote did not use chapters, these are indicated by the double line break on the page. There might be more sections, or a more logical means of distinguishing them, but these arbitrary divisions will work for our purposes.

#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 1|Section one (3-14)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 2|Section two (14-47)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 3|Section three (47-53)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 4|Section four (53-55)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 5|Section five (55-63)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 6|Section six (63-72)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 7|Section seven (72-74)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 8|Section eight (74-85)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 9|Section nine (85-93)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 10|Section ten (93-97)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 11|Section eleven (97-104)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 12|Section twelve (104-109)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 13|Section thirteen (109-111)]]

==Characters==
===Paul/Narrator===
An aspiring writer who lives above Holly in his New York apartment. He is affectionately referred to as "Fred" by Holly until her brother dies. After her brother's death, she only refers to him as "Buster". He enjoys drinking bourbon and reading Simenon. He becomes friends with Holly and Joe Bell and he later falls in love with Holly. He seems to be a passive man, and is suspected of being homosexual due to the lack of sexual nature of his and Holly's relationship. His character closely resembles Capote in his own life.

===Holly Golightly===
True name is Lulamae Barnes. At age 14 she married Doc Golightly near Tulip, Texas. Her parents both passed away from TB, and she was sent to stay with some ‘mean people’ approximately 100 miles east of Tulip. She and her brother, Fred, ran away and would steal in order to eat. After being caught stealing by one of Doc’s daughters, he fell in love with her and asked her to marry him. Though she ran away from him at age 14, she feels she owes a lot to Doc because he gave her confidence in herself. Discovered in California by O.J. Berman, she was given French lessons to rid her of her country accent, and modeled after Margaret Sullavan. Later she posed as niece to Sally Tomato in exchange for money to deliver ‘weather reports’ from Sing Sing to his lawyer.

Just shy of being 19 at the beginning of the story, Holly is described physically as ageless, having short, boy styled hair with a hodgepodge of colors including white blonde and yellow streaks(self colored), and being thin but a clean and healthy look about her. Her cheeks are pink and she has very large mouth and warm, blue, green, and brown eyes, which she hides behind large, prescription sunglasses at all hours. Her nose is turned up at the end, like a pixie. She is always well groomed, with a tendency to dress in good taste, but plainly, in grays and blues which seems to make her shine even more.

Holly believes strongly in being free to roam where ever her whim should take her. Although she resides in apartment 2 of the brownstone, she seems to not have a home. Her inability to keep up with her apartment key, her nameless cat, and the sparse furnishings in her apartment illustrate well her lack of commitment to one place or thing. Even her mail box card is non-committing : Miss Holiday Golightly, Traveling. Although she seems so free spirited, later in the novella we find that she desperately does want to find a place to call her own; a place that makes her feel secure as Tiffany’s does.

Holly smokes Picayunes, a type of cigarette; which irony is found when one realizes in Spanish it means “something of very little value, a trifle.” On occasion she also confessed to smoking marijuana, and seems to be a drinker. She loyally reads tabloids, travel folders, and astrological charts, as well as letters from her brother overseas. She plays the guitar very well (taught to her by Doc) and sings a little. Although her profession is never named, she makes it part of her job to study horses and baseball, and trained herself to like men over 40 who give her considerable amounts of money to visit the powder room. Holly considers herself bisexual.

She has no qualms about lying when it amuses or benefits her. She seems to have loyalties to no one except for her brother, Fred, with whom she fantasizes about having a horse farm near the sea in Mexico. Being rich and famous is in the top of her priorities. The narrator describes her as a lop sided romantic, as well as a crude exhibitionist, a time waster, and an utter fake.

Holly is a spunky 19 year old woman who goes her own way and does her own thing. She is a bit of a vagabond. She only stays in one place for so long. If something starts to go awry, she will pack up her stuff and move on to another place. She lives in apartment #2 of a brownstone apartment complex in New York City. Her apartment reflects her personality, for it always has the look of being just moved in to, and the look of just about to be moved out of.

===Joe Bell===
Owner of a quiet bar on Lexington Avenue, referred to as Joe Bell's. Physically described to be small, with fine coarse white hair, a sloping bony face better suited to a tall person, and a complexion which always appears sunburnt. He has a froggy voice. Suspected to be homosexual. Devoted to and loves Holly; took numerous phone messages for her when she was in New York, and through out the years during her absence has constantly looked for her in the streets. He doesn't have an easy nature, self described due to being a bachelor and having a sour stomach, which he regularly self medicates with Tums. He is very difficult to talk to unless you are interested in Holly, ice hockey, Weimaraner dogs, Our Gal Sunday (Soap serial on for 15 years), and Gilbert or Sullivan. He has a froggy voice. He's talented at flower arranging, and keeps fresh flowers in his bar.

===I. Y. Yunioshi===
Mistakenly said to be from Japan by Bell; but truly from California. He is a photographer featured in a magazine called Winchell, and lived in the studio apartment, top floor of brownstone, during Holly’s time living there.

===Negro man from Africa===
Tall, delicate, man, who wore a calico skirt. He is a talented wood sculptor from the S Tribe, in Tococul, East Anglia. He was photographed by Yunioshi on Christmas Day in 1956, depicting him with a "shy, yet vain smile, displaying in his hands an odd wood sculpture," of the head of Holly Golightly (p6). Shared a mat with Holly Golightly in Spring of that same year.

===Madame Sapphia Spanella===
Tenant of brownstone. Described as a husky, coloratura (a singer, usually a soprano, who specializes in music characterized by trills and runs) who goes roller-skating every afternoon in Central Park. She began a petition in the brownstone to evict Holly for being “morally objectionable and the perpetrator of all night gatherings that endanger the safety and sanity of her neighbors (p. 64).”

===Sid Arbuck===
Escorted Holly home the first evening Fred sees her. He picked up the check for five of her friends, whom he did not know, and expected to stay the evening with her. Apparently he did not succeed due to giving her only twenty cents to go to the powder-room.

===Fred===
Holly’s favorite of four brothers. When the family was separated to live with different foster homes after their parents' death, she and Fred were together. He was the only one who would let her hug him when it was cold as a child. Described to be 6’2” and ‘slow’ or ‘stupid’. Was in the 8th grade for three years, then was drafted into the army where he eventually died.

===Sally Tomato===
Looks like a monk with gold teeth to Holly. He speaks very little English. While in Sing Sing prison, he was visited every Thursday by Golightly, and gives her a “weather report”. Suspected to be Black hand Mafia. At one time he would hang out at Joe Bell’s often, but didn’t socialize with anyone.

===O.J. Berman===
An agent who met Holly at Santa Anita, CA when she was 15. Smokes cigars, wears Knize cologne. Wears elevated heals, appears to be a midget, freckled, large head, bald, pointed elven ears, Pekingese eyes which are bulged and unpitying. Hair sprouts from his ears and nose, and has hairy hands. He has a jerky metallic rhythm to his speech. Considers himself sensitive, and loves Holly.

===Benny Polan===
Asked Holly to marry him; he spent thousands of dollars sending her to psychiatrists.

===Cecil B. DeMille & Gary Cooper===
Actors starring in The Story of Dr Wassell.

===Rutherford (Rusty) Trawler===
Middle aged, baby faced, fat and appeared to be a spoiled child. Lost both parents in 1908 at age 5, his father a victim of anarchist and his mother died of shock. This made him instantly a millionaire and celebrity. His godfather arrested for sodomy due to him, and has divorced 3 times. He offered to marry Unity Mitford if Hitler didn’t, thus was referred to as a Nazi by many. Attended rallies in Yorkville. Acts as though he should be in diapers, Holly said he should be wearing a skirt. Talks in a whiney voice. Thinks girls are literally dolls. And although believed to be homosexual, he marries Mag Wildwood.

===Mag Wildwood (Margaret Thatcher Fitzhue Wildwood)===
Her home town is Wildwood, Arkansas. Models for Yunioshi for the Bazaar. Described to be extremely thin, flat chested, and over 6 feet tall, with a stutter that she over exaggerates. She lives at the Winslow. All men in her family were soldiers, and there is a statue of her father in Wildwood. She is very proud of her country, and considers herself a warmhearted person. She knits. Temporarily roomed with Holly and was engaged to Jose even though she was often referred to as being a lesbian.

===Jose Ybarra-Jaegar===
A Brazilian with a German mother. He aims to be the president of Brazil. Has a strong latin accent, originally Wildwood’s lover and later became Holly’s. He is described to be intelligent, presentable, and very serious about his work, which is related to the government. He is in Washington 3 days a week. His priorities are maintaining his good name and work, and broke his engagement with Holly due to her arrest and publicity with Sally Tomato.

===Mildred Grossman===
A girl who went to school with the narrator. Described as a top heavy realist with moist hair greasy glasses covering flat eyes. She dissected frogs and went to picket lines, only examined stars to gauge their chemical tonnage. Compared to Holly by the narrator to be a Siamese twin; they would never change because they’d been given their character too soon. (p.58)

===Doc Golightly===
Farmer, horse doctor, and husband of Holly/Lulamae, from Tulip, Texas. He is described to be very provocative, early fifties w/ a hard weathered face, and gray forlorn eyes. He appeared in New York outside the brownstone wearing an old sweat-stained gray hat, a pale blue, cheap summer suit, loose on his lanky frame. He wore brand new brown shoes. He likes to whistle, and has a very countrified drawl. Smells of tobacco and sweat, and keeps a toothpick in his mouth to chew on. He is very forward when speaking with the narrator. He came via Greyhound to see Holly/Lulamae. His first wife passed away on July 4th 1936, and married Holly/Lulamae December 38 when she was just shy of age 14.

===Nellie===
Doc’s oldest daughter, discovered Fred and Lulamae stealing milk and turkey eggs.

==Major Themes==
===Delight in the Unorthodox===
Plimpton writes that the theme in ''Breakfast at Tiffany’s'' is that there are special, strange gifted people in the world and they have to be treated with understanding (175). When something is unorthodox it breaks with convention or tradition. All of the characters in the novella ''Breakfast at Tiffany's'' took delight in unique unorthodox ways. Homosexuality was considered to be unorthodox in the fifties and some people even consider it to be unorthodox today.

Holly Golightly was unorthodox by leaving her husband and by embracing homosexuality like she did. Tison Pugh writes, "...we can see that Holly's friendships with gay men are one sign of her progressive sexual politics" (2). Holly believed in things that were unconventional and unorthodox. Paul Levine writes that,"...Holly too is a hard-headed romantic, a [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pragmatic pragmatic] [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=idealist idealist]" (351). Holly definitely took delight in her unorthodox ways. Not only did Holly Golightly take delight in her unorthodox ways, but the narrator also took delight in his unorthodox ways.

The narrator was more content with just being himself than he was with fitting the mold. Holly Golightly says that all straight men either like baseball or horses, and in her apartment there are books about horses and baseball. The narrator goes over to the book shelf and pretends to be interested when he says, "Pretending an interest in horseflesh and How to Tell It gave me sufficiently private opportunity for sizing Holly's friends" (Capote 35). If the narrator had liked baseball he would have picked up a book on baseball instead of pretending he liked horses. In other words the narrator is gay, and he is not really concerned with other's thoughts.

Joe Bell is also a different type of character. He owns a bar, pops tums like candy, and takes care of flowers. Joe Bell's hobbies are hockey players, [http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art4814.asp weimaraner dogs], and [http://math.boisestate.edu/GaS/ Gilbert and Sullivan] (Capote 4). The narrator even goes on to say that Joe Bell is related to either Gilbert or Sullivan. "Since Sullivan is rumored to be have been a homosexual...the passage slyly hints that the bartender is part of Sullivan's family, a fellow gay man to his beloved composer" (Tison 2). Joe Bell also "arranges flowers with matronly care" (Capote 5). In today's society a masculine straight man does not arrange flowers with matronly care. All three of the main characters took delight in their unorthodox ways.

===Quest for Home/Belonging===

Holly Golightly is a pure example of someone that is untameable. It's no wonder how she got that way. Doc Golightly, her husband, says, "Story was: their mother died of TB ([http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/faqs/qa.htm Tuberculosis]), and their papa done the same - and all the churren, a whole raft of 'em, they been sent off to live with different mean people" (Capote 68). From that line it is obvious that Holly Golightly never really had a home. She appears to spend the rest of her time trying to find one.

One home that Holly has is at Tiffany's. Holly says, "It calms me down right away, the quietness and proud look of it; nothing bad could happen to you there, not with those kind of men in their nice suits, and that lovely smell of silver and alligator wallets. If I could find a real life place that made me feel like Tiffany's, then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name" (Capote 40). Matthew Cash states that this scene shows Holly's innocence and search for a home (3).

Holly spends much of her time trying to belong to something or someone while at the same time trying not to. Perhaps she had abandonment issues. "On the first night that Holly came to visit the narrator in his appartment she ends up sleeping beside him, showing that Holly needs someone who is comforting instead of lusting toward her" (Cash 4). Perhaps Holly just needed to feel a love that didn't require anything back of her. Holly was human and she desired love, but at the same time she retreated when the narrator asked her why she was crying. Holly jumps up and heads for the window while hollering, "I hate snoops" (Capote 27). Holly had a desire for a home and a place to belong, but she appeared to be very leary of it all.

===Never Love a Wild Thing===

Holly Golightly considered herself to be wild. She gives Joe Bell this speach and she says, "Never love a wild thing, Mr. Bell...That was Doc's mistake. He was always lugging home wild things. A hawk with a hurt wing. One time it was a full-grown bobcat with a broken leg. But you can't give your heart to a wild thing: the more you do, the stronger they get. Until they're strong enough to run into the woods. Or fly into a tree. then a taller tree. Then the sky. That's how you'll end up, Mr. Bell. If you let yourself love a wild thing. You'll end up looking at the sky" (Capote 74).

Holly goes on to say, "Good luck: and believe me, dearest Doc - it's better to look at the sky than live there. Such an empty place; so vague. Just a country where the thunder goes and things disappear" (Capote 74). In one sentence she is telling Joe Bell not to love a wild thing and in the next she is admitting how unhappy she is. In the beginning of the story Joe Bell admits his love for Holly when he says, "Sure I loved her. But it wasn't that I wanted to touch her" (Capote 9). Maybe Holly knew about Joe Bell's love and was trying to warn him not to love her. While Holly admitted that she was wild she also admitted that she was unhappy.

===Joy/Difficulty of Traveling===

Holly Golightly is a traveler who is searching for somewhere to call home. She even goes so far as to say:"...home is where you feel at home. I'm still looking," she says (Capote 102). Everything she does throughout the book is based on that very way she looks at life (Cash). "I'll never get used to anything. Anybody that does, they might as well be dead" (Capote 19).

Holly only seems to find happiness for a short time and it is quickly followed by something that drives her away. She has bad memories of almost every step of the way. From her marriage to Doc in Texas to her many male callers in New York, there is always something that drives at her.

Holly's age, inexperience, and lack of direction may contribute to her inability to be happy. Her age is revealed by the narrarator:"I thought her anywhere between sixteen and thirty; as it turned out, she was shy two months of her nineteenth birthday."(Capote 12-13). Her inexperience and young age has her unsure what she really wants out of her life. Holly would finally come to realization after losing her no-name cat. And even at the end of the novel, she is still in search of home.

==Major Symbols==
===Tiffany & Co. ===

Tiffany's is a jewelry store Holly feels is the best place for her to calm down and feel at home. She explains it as the cure for her "mean reds" to the narrarator (Cash):"What I've found does the most good is just to get into a taxi and go to Tiffany's," Holly says (Capote 40).

Tiffany's also symbolizes what Holly is searching for: a place she feels she belongs. A place she feels no harm can be done to her and she feels safe around men in particular."It calms me down right away, the quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there, not with those kind men in their nice suits, and that lovely smell of silver and alligator wallets" (Capote 40).

===The "Mean Reds"===

The "mean reds" was a reoccuring problem Holly has. The narrarator first associated the "mean reds" with the blues (Cash). Holly is quick to denounce that theory. "No, the blues are because you're getting fat or maybe it's been raining too long. You're sad, that's all. But the mean reds are horrible. You're afraid and you sweat like hell, but you don't know what you're afraid of. Except something bad is going to happen, only you don't know what it is"(Capote 40). The narrarator makes another attempt to give an explanation by calling it angst, claiming everyone feels that same way (Cash). Holly takes the suggestion of Rusty Trawler and smokes marijuana and took an aspirin.

===The Fat Lady===
The fat lady was the female detective that wore the civilian clothes. The fat lady hair was " thick yellow braids roped around her head." The fat lady detective talk in a baby voice. She told Holly "come along, sister." You're going places." At this time, Holly did not want the fat lady hands touching her. Holly said: "Get them cotton-pickin hands off of me, you dreary,driveling old bull-dyke." This made the fat lady angry, so she slapped Holly so damned hard across her face,her head spinned to her over shoulder. As the detectives started to escort Holly down the stairs, she yells "please feed the cat."

===The Cat===
Although Holly tries to act like the cat doesn't really matter to her as a possession, she really does feel that it belongs to her. Holly never really admits this fact until she leaves the cat, then can't find it. "Oh Jesus God. we did belong to each other. He was mine." (Capote 109) The cat is one of the few things that holly truly feels is hers. Every time the cat appears in the story he seems to be the exact opposite of Holly, or acting in a complete opposite manner as Holly. "Her at losing her nameless, battered "slob" of a cat, far from being a sentimental excess on her part (and the narrator's), is an intensely serious expression of profound fear of relinquishment." (Nance) Holly shares a feeling of not belonging and acting on a moments notice with the cat. "Like the ugly tom cat she picks up by the river one day, her existence is improvised" (Hassan) Holly finally shows her fear of "perpetual homelessness" (Hassan) when she drops the cat off in Spanish Harlem, and after not being able to find it says: “I’m very scared, Buster. Yes, at last. Because it could go on forever. Not knowing what's yours until you've thrown it away." (Capote 109)

===The Bird Cage===

Holly gives the narrator the bird cage as a gift. The bird cage cost three-hundred fifty dollars. In return the narrator gives Holly a Saint Christopher's Metal from Tiffany's.

==Influences==
The somewhat "curious" title Breakfast at Tiffany's was inspired by a man from out-of-town that Capote heard about, who was "ignorant of New York" (Plimpton 161). As Plimpton asserts, when the man was asked to pick from the best restaurants in New York where to eat breakfast, he replied: "Well, let's have breakfast at Tiffany's," which was the only place he knew of (161).

Capote's life had a great deal of influence on the novella. Capote was a teenager when he began writing books, and the narrator also was a writer in his teens. Capote once said, "I always knew that I wanted to be a writer and that I wanted to be rich and famous" (Krebs). The narrator wanted to be a success early in life, and Capote expressed himself in the same sense. He knew "[he] had to be successful, and [he] had to be successful early" (Krebs). Capote turned into an alcholic because of his drinking at a young age. The narrator was also a heavy drinker. Holly and the narrator would go to the bar and drink many times. Capote was also a homosexual; his partner was Jack Dunphy [http://www.axiongraphicx.com/Capote.html]. In the novella, when the narrator is looking through Holly's book collection, he realizes that she only owns books about horses and baseball. The narrator has no interest in either subjuct. Holly mentions her love for horses and explains to the narrator how she does not like baseball at all, but she reads books about it for research purposes. Holly informs the narrator that if a man does not like either subject then she is in trouble any way because he does not like girls. The narrator's life in the novella is almost a mirror image of Capote.

In real life, Truman Capote's mother's name was Lillie Mae [http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/capote.htm] which is very similar to the real name he chose to give Holly of Lulamae. It is also interesting that the narrator in the novella is an aspiring writer just as Capote had been when he moved to New York and he also is given the same birthday as Capote which is September 30th.

Some have said that Capote's works were possibly influenced by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, but looking closely to Capote's own life experiences, this novella seems to be solely influenced by his own life with a bit of a flare. He was inspired by the women in his life to create Holly Golightly's character. As Clarke asserts, Capote modeled “his scatty central character...on half a dozen of the charming young beauties he had squired around Manhattan during and after World War II” (64). One woman who likes to take credit for inspiring Holly's character is Doris Lilly, who was like a sister to Capote in his youth. She actually lived in a “brownstone walk-up on East Seventy-eighth Street, exactly [like] the one in the book,” and says “there’s an awful lot of [her] in Holly Golightly” (Lilly 164).

One more connection that can be made to see how Capote's own life was a big influence in the writing of the novel is the homosexual references in the book. Capote was a homosexual, one of the first well known people to actually come out and let people know he was a homosexual. This is very substantial, because in 50's and 60's it was not something that people talked about, it was taboo.

==Other Novella's and Novels==
* Summer Crossing

* Other Voices, Other Rooms

* The Grass Harp

* The Muses Are Heard

* Breakfast at Tiffany's

* The Thanksgiving Visitor

* Summer Crossing
==Time Line==
* 1943 Summer Crossing
* 1945 "Miriam"
* 1948 Other Voices, Other Rooms
* 1949 A Tree of Night and Other Stories
* 1951 The Grass Harp - Novel
* 1952 The Grass Harp - Play
* 1953 Beat the Devil
* 1954 House of Flowers
* 1956 The Muses Are Heard
* 1956 "A Christmas Memory"
* 1957 "The Duke in His Domain"
* 1958 Breakfast at Tiffany's
* 1960 The Innocents
* 1963 The Collected Writings of Truman Capote
* 1966 In Cold Blood
* 1968 The Thanksgiving Visitor
* 1971 The Great Gatsby
* 1975 "Mojave" and "La Cote Basque, 1965"
* 1976 "Unspoiled Monsters" and "Kate McCloud"
* 1980 Music for Chameleons
* 1986 Answered Prayers: The Unfinished Novel
* 2005 Summer Crossing - * Previously unpublished Novel

==Additional Resources==
*Capote, Truman. The Complete Stories of Truman Capote. New York: The Random House Publishing Group, 2004.
*Clarke, Gerald. Capote: A Biography. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988.
*Garsen, Helen S. Truman Capote. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Company, 1980.
*Goyen, William. "That Old Valentine Maker." New York Times Book Review. November 1958:5,38.
*Cash, Mathew. [http://www.-personal.umich.edu/~bcash/criticalanalysis.html The Breakfast at Tiffany's Homepage - A Critical Analysis]. 1996. ''University of Michigan''. 14 March 2006.

==Works Cited==
*Capote, Truman. ''Breakfast at Tiffany's''. New York: Vintage Books - A division of Random House, 1993.
*Cash, Matthew. ''The Breakfast at Tiffany's Homepage''. 1996. University of Michigan. 14 March 2006. <www.personal.umich.edu/~bcash/criticalanalysis.html>
*Clarke, Gerald. ''Too Brief a Treat: The Letters of Truman Capote''. New York: Random House, 2004.
*Grzesiak, Rich. "My Significant Other, Truman Capote". [http://axiongrafix.com/capote.html]. 1987.
*Hassan, Ihab H. "Wisconsin Studies in Contemporary Literature". Vol.1, No.2. Spring, 1960. pp.5-21
*Krebs, Albin. "Truman Capote Is Dead at 59; Novelist of Style and Clarity". The New York Times on the web. 28 Aug.1984 <www.nytimes.com/books/97/12/28/home/capote-obit.html>
*Levine, Paul. ''Book Review of Breakfeast at Tiffany's/Levine''. The Georgia Review.3/(1959): 350-352
*Lilly, Doris. ''Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances, and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career''. Ed. George Plimpton. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1997.
*Nance, Willaim L."The Worlds of Truman Capote, Stein and Day" 1970.Contemporary Literary Criticism.
*Plimpton, George. ''Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances,and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career''. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group. 1997.
*Pugh, Tison. ''Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's''. ''The Explicator''. 6/(2002): 51-53

[[Category:Literature]]

Breakfast at Tiffany's

2006-03-23T13:31:04Z

Jchapman: /* Influences */

==Factual Information==
A [[novel]]/[[novella]] by American writer [[Truman Capote]] published in 1958 by Random House, Inc., New York.

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/capote.htm Truman Capote (1924-1984) - original name Truman Streckfus Persons

==Study Guide==
Below are the thirteen major sections of the [[novella]]. Since Capote did not use chapters, these are indicated by the double line break on the page. There might be more sections, or a more logical means of distinguishing them, but these arbitrary divisions will work for our purposes.

#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 1|Section one (3-14)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 2|Section two (14-47)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 3|Section three (47-53)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 4|Section four (53-55)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 5|Section five (55-63)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 6|Section six (63-72)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 7|Section seven (72-74)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 8|Section eight (74-85)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 9|Section nine (85-93)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 10|Section ten (93-97)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 11|Section eleven (97-104)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 12|Section twelve (104-109)]]
#[[Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 13|Section thirteen (109-111)]]

==Characters==
===Paul/Narrator===
An aspiring writer who lives above Holly in his New York apartment. He is affectionately referred to as "Fred" by Holly until her brother dies. After her brother's death, she only refers to him as "Buster". He enjoys drinking bourbon and reading Simenon. He becomes friends with Holly and Joe Bell and he later falls in love with Holly. He seems to be a passive man, and is suspected of being homosexual due to the lack of sexual nature of his and Holly's relationship. His character closely resembles Capote in his own life.

===Holly Golightly===
True name is Lulamae Barnes. At age 14 she married Doc Golightly near Tulip, Texas. Her parents both passed away from TB, and she was sent to stay with some ‘mean people’ approximately 100 miles east of Tulip. She and her brother, Fred, ran away and would steal in order to eat. After being caught stealing by one of Doc’s daughters, he fell in love with her and asked her to marry him. Though she ran away from him at age 14, she feels she owes a lot to Doc because he gave her confidence in herself. Discovered in California by O.J. Berman, she was given French lessons to rid her of her country accent, and modeled after Margaret Sullavan. Later she posed as niece to Sally Tomato in exchange for money to deliver ‘weather reports’ from Sing Sing to his lawyer.

Just shy of being 19 at the beginning of the story, Holly is described physically as ageless, having short, boy styled hair with a hodgepodge of colors including white blonde and yellow streaks(self colored), and being thin but a clean and healthy look about her. Her cheeks are pink and she has very large mouth and warm, blue, green, and brown eyes, which she hides behind large, prescription sunglasses at all hours. Her nose is turned up at the end, like a pixie. She is always well groomed, with a tendency to dress in good taste, but plainly, in grays and blues which seems to make her shine even more.

Holly believes strongly in being free to roam where ever her whim should take her. Although she resides in apartment 2 of the brownstone, she seems to not have a home. Her inability to keep up with her apartment key, her nameless cat, and the sparse furnishings in her apartment illustrate well her lack of commitment to one place or thing. Even her mail box card is non-committing : Miss Holiday Golightly, Traveling. Although she seems so free spirited, later in the novella we find that she desperately does want to find a place to call her own; a place that makes her feel secure as Tiffany’s does.

Holly smokes Picayunes, a type of cigarette; which irony is found when one realizes in Spanish it means “something of very little value, a trifle.” On occasion she also confessed to smoking marijuana, and seems to be a drinker. She loyally reads tabloids, travel folders, and astrological charts, as well as letters from her brother overseas. She plays the guitar very well (taught to her by Doc) and sings a little. Although her profession is never named, she makes it part of her job to study horses and baseball, and trained herself to like men over 40 who give her considerable amounts of money to visit the powder room. Holly considers herself bisexual.

She has no qualms about lying when it amuses or benefits her. She seems to have loyalties to no one except for her brother, Fred, with whom she fantasizes about having a horse farm near the sea in Mexico. Being rich and famous is in the top of her priorities. The narrator describes her as a lop sided romantic, as well as a crude exhibitionist, a time waster, and an utter fake.

Holly is a spunky 19 year old woman who goes her own way and does her own thing. She is a bit of a vagabond. She only stays in one place for so long. If something starts to go awry, she will pack up her stuff and move on to another place. She lives in apartment #2 of a brownstone apartment complex in New York City. Her apartment reflects her personality, for it always has the look of being just moved in to, and the look of just about to be moved out of.

===Joe Bell===
Owner of a quiet bar on Lexington Avenue, referred to as Joe Bell's. Physically described to be small, with fine coarse white hair, a sloping bony face better suited to a tall person, and a complexion which always appears sunburnt. He has a froggy voice. Suspected to be homosexual. Devoted to and loves Holly; took numerous phone messages for her when she was in New York, and through out the years during her absence has constantly looked for her in the streets. He doesn't have an easy nature, self described due to being a bachelor and having a sour stomach, which he regularly self medicates with Tums. He is very difficult to talk to unless you are interested in Holly, ice hockey, Weimaraner dogs, Our Gal Sunday (Soap serial on for 15 years), and Gilbert or Sullivan. He has a froggy voice. He's talented at flower arranging, and keeps fresh flowers in his bar.

===I. Y. Yunioshi===
Mistakenly said to be from Japan by Bell; but truly from California. He is a photographer featured in a magazine called Winchell, and lived in the studio apartment, top floor of brownstone, during Holly’s time living there.

===Negro man from Africa===
Tall, delicate, man, who wore a calico skirt. He is a talented wood sculptor from the S Tribe, in Tococul, East Anglia. He was photographed by Yunioshi on Christmas Day in 1956, depicting him with a "shy, yet vain smile, displaying in his hands an odd wood sculpture," of the head of Holly Golightly (p6). Shared a mat with Holly Golightly in Spring of that same year.

===Madame Sapphia Spanella===
Tenant of brownstone. Described as a husky, coloratura (a singer, usually a soprano, who specializes in music characterized by trills and runs) who goes roller-skating every afternoon in Central Park. She began a petition in the brownstone to evict Holly for being “morally objectionable and the perpetrator of all night gatherings that endanger the safety and sanity of her neighbors (p. 64).”

===Sid Arbuck===
Escorted Holly home the first evening Fred sees her. He picked up the check for five of her friends, whom he did not know, and expected to stay the evening with her. Apparently he did not succeed due to giving her only twenty cents to go to the powder-room.

===Fred===
Holly’s favorite of four brothers. When the family was separated to live with different foster homes after their parents' death, she and Fred were together. He was the only one who would let her hug him when it was cold as a child. Described to be 6’2” and ‘slow’ or ‘stupid’. Was in the 8th grade for three years, then was drafted into the army where he eventually died.

===Sally Tomato===
Looks like a monk with gold teeth to Holly. He speaks very little English. While in Sing Sing prison, he was visited every Thursday by Golightly, and gives her a “weather report”. Suspected to be Black hand Mafia. At one time he would hang out at Joe Bell’s often, but didn’t socialize with anyone.

===O.J. Berman===
An agent who met Holly at Santa Anita, CA when she was 15. Smokes cigars, wears Knize cologne. Wears elevated heals, appears to be a midget, freckled, large head, bald, pointed elven ears, Pekingese eyes which are bulged and unpitying. Hair sprouts from his ears and nose, and has hairy hands. He has a jerky metallic rhythm to his speech. Considers himself sensitive, and loves Holly.

===Benny Polan===
Asked Holly to marry him; he spent thousands of dollars sending her to psychiatrists.

===Cecil B. DeMille & Gary Cooper===
Actors starring in The Story of Dr Wassell.

===Rutherford (Rusty) Trawler===
Middle aged, baby faced, fat and appeared to be a spoiled child. Lost both parents in 1908 at age 5, his father a victim of anarchist and his mother died of shock. This made him instantly a millionaire and celebrity. His godfather arrested for sodomy due to him, and has divorced 3 times. He offered to marry Unity Mitford if Hitler didn’t, thus was referred to as a Nazi by many. Attended rallies in Yorkville. Acts as though he should be in diapers, Holly said he should be wearing a skirt. Talks in a whiney voice. Thinks girls are literally dolls. And although believed to be homosexual, he marries Mag Wildwood.

===Mag Wildwood (Margaret Thatcher Fitzhue Wildwood)===
Her home town is Wildwood, Arkansas. Models for Yunioshi for the Bazaar. Described to be extremely thin, flat chested, and over 6 feet tall, with a stutter that she over exaggerates. She lives at the Winslow. All men in her family were soldiers, and there is a statue of her father in Wildwood. She is very proud of her country, and considers herself a warmhearted person. She knits. Temporarily roomed with Holly and was engaged to Jose even though she was often referred to as being a lesbian.

===Jose Ybarra-Jaegar===
A Brazilian with a German mother. He aims to be the president of Brazil. Has a strong latin accent, originally Wildwood’s lover and later became Holly’s. He is described to be intelligent, presentable, and very serious about his work, which is related to the government. He is in Washington 3 days a week. His priorities are maintaining his good name and work, and broke his engagement with Holly due to her arrest and publicity with Sally Tomato.

===Mildred Grossman===
A girl who went to school with the narrator. Described as a top heavy realist with moist hair greasy glasses covering flat eyes. She dissected frogs and went to picket lines, only examined stars to gauge their chemical tonnage. Compared to Holly by the narrator to be a Siamese twin; they would never change because they’d been given their character too soon. (p.58)

===Doc Golightly===
Farmer, horse doctor, and husband of Holly/Lulamae, from Tulip, Texas. He is described to be very provocative, early fifties w/ a hard weathered face, and gray forlorn eyes. He appeared in New York outside the brownstone wearing an old sweat-stained gray hat, a pale blue, cheap summer suit, loose on his lanky frame. He wore brand new brown shoes. He likes to whistle, and has a very countrified drawl. Smells of tobacco and sweat, and keeps a toothpick in his mouth to chew on. He is very forward when speaking with the narrator. He came via Greyhound to see Holly/Lulamae. His first wife passed away on July 4th 1936, and married Holly/Lulamae December 38 when she was just shy of age 14.

===Nellie===
Doc’s oldest daughter, discovered Fred and Lulamae stealing milk and turkey eggs.

==Major Themes==
===Delight in the Unorthodox===
Plimpton writes that the theme in ''Breakfast at Tiffany’s'' is that there are special, strange gifted people in the world and they have to be treated with understanding (175). When something is unorthodox it breaks with convention or tradition. All of the characters in the novella ''Breakfast at Tiffany's'' took delight in unique unorthodox ways. Homosexuality was considered to be unorthodox in the fifties and some people even consider it to be unorthodox today.

Holly Golightly was unorthodox by leaving her husband and by embracing homosexuality like she did. Tison Pugh writes, "...we can see that Holly's friendships with gay men are one sign of her progressive sexual politics" (2). Holly believed in things that were unconventional and unorthodox. Paul Levine writes that,"...Holly too is a hard-headed romantic, a [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pragmatic pragmatic] [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=idealist idealist]" (351). Holly definitely took delight in her unorthodox ways. Not only did Holly Golightly take delight in her unorthodox ways, but the narrator also took delight in his unorthodox ways.

The narrator was more content with just being himself than he was with fitting the mold. Holly Golightly says that all straight men either like baseball or horses, and in her apartment there are books about horses and baseball. The narrator goes over to the book shelf and pretends to be interested when he says, "Pretending an interest in horseflesh and How to Tell It gave me sufficiently private opportunity for sizing Holly's friends" (Capote 35). If the narrator had liked baseball he would have picked up a book on baseball instead of pretending he liked horses. In other words the narrator is gay, and he is not really concerned with other's thoughts.

Joe Bell is also a different type of character. He owns a bar, pops tums like candy, and takes care of flowers. Joe Bell's hobbies are hockey players, [http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art4814.asp weimaraner dogs], and [http://math.boisestate.edu/GaS/ Gilbert and Sullivan] (Capote 4). The narrator even goes on to say that Joe Bell is related to either Gilbert or Sullivan. "Since Sullivan is rumored to be have been a homosexual...the passage slyly hints that the bartender is part of Sullivan's family, a fellow gay man to his beloved composer" (Tison 2). Joe Bell also "arranges flowers with matronly care" (Capote 5). In today's society a masculine straight man does not arrange flowers with matronly care. All three of the main characters took delight in their unorthodox ways.

===Quest for Home/Belonging===

Holly Golightly is a pure example of someone that is untameable. It's no wonder how she got that way. Doc Golightly, her husband, says, "Story was: their mother died of TB ([http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/faqs/qa.htm Tuberculosis]), and their papa done the same - and all the churren, a whole raft of 'em, they been sent off to live with different mean people" (Capote 68). From that line it is obvious that Holly Golightly never really had a home. She appears to spend the rest of her time trying to find one.

One home that Holly has is at Tiffany's. Holly says, "It calms me down right away, the quietness and proud look of it; nothing bad could happen to you there, not with those kind of men in their nice suits, and that lovely smell of silver and alligator wallets. If I could find a real life place that made me feel like Tiffany's, then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name" (Capote 40). Matthew Cash states that this scene shows Holly's innocence and search for a home (3).

Holly spends much of her time trying to belong to something or someone while at the same time trying not to. Perhaps she had abandonment issues. "On the first night that Holly came to visit the narrator in his appartment she ends up sleeping beside him, showing that Holly needs someone who is comforting instead of lusting toward her" (Cash 4). Perhaps Holly just needed to feel a love that didn't require anything back of her. Holly was human and she desired love, but at the same time she retreated when the narrator asked her why she was crying. Holly jumps up and heads for the window while hollering, "I hate snoops" (Capote 27). Holly had a desire for a home and a place to belong, but she appeared to be very leary of it all.

===Never Love a Wild Thing===

Holly Golightly considered herself to be wild. She gives Joe Bell this speach and she says, "Never love a wild thing, Mr. Bell...That was Doc's mistake. He was always lugging home wild things. A hawk with a hurt wing. One time it was a full-grown bobcat with a broken leg. But you can't give your heart to a wild thing: the more you do, the stronger they get. Until they're strong enough to run into the woods. Or fly into a tree. then a taller tree. Then the sky. That's how you'll end up, Mr. Bell. If you let yourself love a wild thing. You'll end up looking at the sky" (Capote 74).

Holly goes on to say, "Good luck: and believe me, dearest Doc - it's better to look at the sky than live there. Such an empty place; so vague. Just a country where the thunder goes and things disappear" (Capote 74). In one sentence she is telling Joe Bell not to love a wild thing and in the next she is admitting how unhappy she is. In the beginning of the story Joe Bell admits his love for Holly when he says, "Sure I loved her. But it wasn't that I wanted to touch her" (Capote 9). Maybe Holly knew about Joe Bell's love and was trying to warn him not to love her. While Holly admitted that she was wild she also admitted that she was unhappy.

===Joy/Difficulty of Traveling===

Holly Golightly is a traveler who is searching for somewhere to call home. She even goes so far as to say:"...home is where you feel at home. I'm still looking," she says (Capote 102). Everything she does throughout the book is based on that very way she looks at life (Cash). "I'll never get used to anything. Anybody that does, they might as well be dead" (Capote 19).

Holly only seems to find happiness for a short time and it is quickly followed by something that drives her away. She has bad memories of almost every step of the way. From her marriage to Doc in Texas to her many male callers in New York, there is always something that drives at her.

Holly's age, inexperience, and lack of direction may contribute to her inability to be happy. Her age is revealed by the narrarator:"I thought her anywhere between sixteen and thirty; as it turned out, she was shy two months of her nineteenth birthday."(Capote 12-13). Her inexperience and young age has her unsure what she really wants out of her life. Holly would finally come to realization after losing her no-name cat. And even at the end of the novel, she is still in search of home.

==Major Symbols==
===Tiffany & Co. ===

Tiffany's is a jewelry store Holly feels is the best place for her to calm down and feel at home. She explains it as the cure for her "mean reds" to the narrarator (Cash):"What I've found does the most good is just to get into a taxi and go to Tiffany's," Holly says (Capote 40).

Tiffany's also symbolizes what Holly is searching for: a place she feels she belongs. A place she feels no harm can be done to her and she feels safe around men in particular."It calms me down right away, the quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there, not with those kind men in their nice suits, and that lovely smell of silver and alligator wallets" (Capote 40).

===The "Mean Reds"===

The "mean reds" was a reoccuring problem Holly has. The narrarator first associated the "mean reds" with the blues (Cash). Holly is quick to denounce that theory. "No, the blues are because you're getting fat or maybe it's been raining too long. You're sad, that's all. But the mean reds are horrible. You're afraid and you sweat like hell, but you don't know what you're afraid of. Except something bad is going to happen, only you don't know what it is"(Capote 40). The narrarator makes another attempt to give an explanation by calling it angst, claiming everyone feels that same way (Cash). Holly takes the suggestion of Rusty Trawler and smokes marijuana and took an aspirin.

===The Fat Lady===
The fat lady was the female detective that wore the civilian clothes. The fat lady hair was " thick yellow braids roped around her head." The fat lady detective talk in a baby voice. She told Holly "come along, sister." You're going places." At this time, Holly did not want the fat lady hands touching her. Holly said: "Get them cotton-pickin hands off of me, you dreary,driveling old bull-dyke." This made the fat lady angry, so she slapped Holly so damned hard across her face,her head spinned to her over shoulder. As the detectives started to escort Holly down the stairs, she yells "please feed the cat."

===The Cat===
Although Holly tries to act like the cat doesn't really matter to her as a possession, she really does feel that it belongs to her. Holly never really admits this fact until she leaves the cat, then can't find it. "Oh Jesus God. we did belong to each other. He was mine." (Capote 109) The cat is one of the few things that holly truly feels is hers. Every time the cat appears in the story he seems to be the exact opposite of Holly, or acting in a complete opposite manner as Holly. "Her at losing her nameless, battered "slob" of a cat, far from being a sentimental excess on her part (and the narrator's), is an intensely serious expression of profound fear of relinquishment." (Nance) Holly shares a feeling of not belonging and acting on a moments notice with the cat. "Like the ugly tom cat she picks up by the river one day, her existence is improvised" (Hassan) Holly finally shows her fear of "perpetual homelessness" (Hassan) when she drops the cat off in Spanish Harlem, and after not being able to find it says: “I’m very scared, Buster. Yes, at last. Because it could go on forever. Not knowing what's yours until you've thrown it away." (Capote 109)

===The Bird Cage===

Holly gives the narrator the bird cage as a gift. The bird cage cost three-hundred fifty dollars. In return the narrator gives Holly a Saint Christopher's Metal from Tiffany's.

==Influences==
The somewhat "curious" title Breakfast at Tiffany's was inspired by a man from out-of-town that Capote heard about, who was "ignorant of New York" (Plimpton 161). As Plimpton asserts, when the man was asked to pick from the best restaurants in New York where to eat breakfast, he replied: "Well, let's have breakfast at Tiffany's," which was the only place he knew of (161).

Capote's life had a great deal of influence on the novella. Capote was a teenager when he began writing books, and the narrator also was a writer in his teens. Capote once said, "I always knew that I wanted to be a writer and that I wanted to be rich and famous" (Krebs). The narrator wanted to be a success early in life, and Capote expressed himself in the same sense. He knew "[he] had to be successful, and [he] had to be successful early" (Krebs). Capote turned into an alcholic because of his drinking at a young age. The narrator was also a heavy drinker. Holly and the narrator would go to the bar and drink many times. Capote was also a homosexual; his partner was Jack Dunphy [http://www.axiongraphicx.com/Capote.html]. In the novella, when the narrator is looking through Holly's book collection, he realizes that she only owns books about horses and baseball. The narrator has no interest in either subjuct. Holly mentions her love for horses and explains to the narrator how she does not like baseball at all, but she reads books about it for research purposes. Holly informs the narrator that if a man does not like either subject then she is in trouble any way because he does not like girls. The narrator's life in the novella is almost a mirror image of Capote.

In real life, Truman Capote's mother's name was Lillie Mae [http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/capote.htm] which is very similar to the real name he chose to give Holly of Lulamae. It is also interesting that the narrator in the novella is an aspiring writer just as Capote had been when he moved to New York and he also is given the same birthday as Capote which is September 30th.

Some have said that Capote's works were possibly influenced by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, but looking closely to Capote's own life experiences, this novella seems to be solely influenced by his own life with a bit of a flare. He was inspired by the women in his life to create Holly Golightly's character. As Clarke asserts, Capote modeled “his scatty central character...on half a dozen of the charming young beauties he had squired around Manhattan during and after World War II” (64). One woman who likes to take credit for inspiring Holly's character is Doris Lilly, who was like a sister to Capote in his youth. She actually lived in a “brownstone walk-up on East Seventy-eighth Street, exactly [like] the one in the book,” and says “there’s an awful lot of [her] in Holly Golightly” (Lilly 164).

One more connection that can be made to see how Capote's own life was a big influence in the writing of the novel is the homosexual references in the book. Capote was a homosexual, one of the first well known people to actually come out and let people know he was a homosexual. This is very substantial, because in 50's and 60's it was not something that people talked about, it was taboo.

==Other Novella's and Novels==
* Summer Crossing

* Other Voices, Other Rooms

* The Grass Harp

* The Muses Are Heard

* Breakfast at Tiffany's

* The Thanksgiving Visitor

* Summer Crossing
==Time Line==
* 1943 Summer Crossing
* 1945 "Miriam"
* 1948 Other Voices, Other Rooms
* 1949 A Tree of Night and Other Stories
* 1951 The Grass Harp - Novel
* 1952 The Grass Harp - Play
* 1953 Beat the Devil
* 1954 House of Flowers
* 1956 The Muses Are Heard
* 1956 "A Christmas Memory"
* 1957 "The Duke in His Domain"
* 1958 Breakfast at Tiffany's
* 1960 The Innocents
* 1963 The Collected Writings of Truman Capote
* 1966 In Cold Blood
* 1968 The Thanksgiving Visitor
* 1971 The Great Gatsby
* 1975 "Mojave" and "La Cote Basque, 1965"
* 1976 "Unspoiled Monsters" and "Kate McCloud"
* 1980 Music for Chameleons
* 1986 Answered Prayers: The Unfinished Novel
* 2005 Summer Crossing - * Previously unpublished Novel

==Additional Resources==
*Capote, Truman. The Complete Stories of Truman Capote. New York: The Random House Publishing Group, 2004.
*Clarke, Gerald. Capote: A Biography. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988.
*Garsen, Helen S. Truman Capote. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Company, 1980.
*Goyen, William. "That Old Valentine Maker." New York Times Book Review. November 1958:5,38.

==Works Cited==
*Capote, Truman. ''Breakfast at Tiffany's''. New York: Vintage Books - A division of Random House, 1993.
*Cash, Matthew. ''The Breakfast at Tiffany's Homepage''. 1996. University of Michigan. 14 March 2006. <www.personal.umich.edu/~bcash/criticalanalysis.html>
*Clarke, Gerald. ''Too Brief a Treat: The Letters of Truman Capote''. New York: Random House, 2004.
*Grzesiak, Rich. "My Significant Other, Truman Capote". [http://axiongrafix.com/capote.html]. 1987.
*Hassan, Ihab H. "Wisconsin Studies in Contemporary Literature". Vol.1, No.2. Spring, 1960. pp.5-21
*Krebs, Albin. "Truman Capote Is Dead at 59; Novelist of Style and Clarity". The New York Times on the web. 28 Aug.1984 <www.nytimes.com/books/97/12/28/home/capote-obit.html>
*Levine, Paul. ''Book Review of Breakfeast at Tiffany's/Levine''. The Georgia Review.3/(1959): 350-352
*Lilly, Doris. ''Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances, and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career''. Ed. George Plimpton. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1997.
*Nance, Willaim L."The Worlds of Truman Capote, Stein and Day" 1970.Contemporary Literary Criticism.
*Plimpton, George. ''Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances,and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career''. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group. 1997.
*Pugh, Tison. ''Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's''. ''The Explicator''. 6/(2002): 51-53

[[Category:Literature]]

Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 13

2006-03-22T23:56:25Z

Jchapman: /* Commentary */

== Summary ==
[[Image:Section 13.jpg|thumb| Holly and the cat]]
The narrator notices the decreasing mention of Holly in the news and finds himself longing to be with her once again. He reads in the headlines of a newspaper about Sally Tomato's death and how Holly is believed to be in Rio. Holly's "abandoned possessions" are sold, and a man named Quaintance Smith moves into her old apartment. Mr. Quaintance entertains as many friends as Holly did, and Madame Spanella has no problem with him or his noisy friends. Madame Spanella evens comes to Mr. Quaintance's aid when he is bruised by one of his guest. Little is heard of from Holly, until the narrator receives a postcard in the spring. It appears she has met someone new and is looking for somewhere to live. Holly informs him that Brazil was too tough, but she has moved to Buenos Aires and she likes it. She explains how it is not Tiffany's but close. The new gentleman that she is interested in is a guy she calls $enor. He is married and has seven children. Holly believes that she is in love with him. The narrator is excited at the thought of hearing from Holly again. He wishes he had an address in which to write Holly to tell her, he read in the newspaper that the Trawlers are getting a divorce and that he is moving out of the brownstone because it is haunted, and that he sold two of his stories. Most important, he wanted Holly to know that he found her cat and he catches himself wondering what the cat's name is now that he has a proper home.

== Notes ==
*'''Arican Hut''' (111) - A single story [http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/mip/leprosy/huts.jpg building] made up of natural materials usually wood, which is used for shelter or a house.
*'''Brazil''' (110) - The largest [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil country] in Eastern South America that was founded by the Portuguese in the 1500. [[Image:Brownstone.jpg|thumb|Brownstone Apartment]]

*'''Brownstone''' (110) - Refers to old brick apartment where Holly once lived.

*'''Buenos Aires''' (110) - The largest [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos-Aires country] in Argentina. Located in the eastern part of the country on the Rio de la Plata. Was founded by the Spanish in 1536. Buenos Aires became the capital of Argentina in 1862.

*'''Countersue''' (110) - Means one party to sue a second party who is already suing the first party.

*'''Flanked''' (110) -Means to be beside someone or something.

*'''Gangland Victim''' (109) - A person who is exploited by underground, orgainized crime.

*'''Gossip-Column''' (109) - A [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossip_column gossip column] is a media feature about celebrities' private serects or rumors that has been spread about them.

*'''Mille Tendresse''' (110) - A term translated into English means, mille: thousand and tendresse: affection. Which close in the American speaking tongue to say lots of love.

*'''Rio''' (109) - [http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~sergiok/brasil/rio.html Rio de Janeiro], a state and a city in Southeastern Brazil.

*'''Sing Sing''' (109) - A [http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious%5Fmurders/famous/sing%5fsing prison] in New York.

*'''Spanish Harlem''' (110) - Area urbanized by the addition of brownstones and apartment buildings in the 1880's. Predominantly Hispanic, it is also referred to as East Harlem, found in New York City.

*'''Two bits''' (109) - [http://www.snopes.com/humor/jokes/quarters.asp quarter] Equal to one quarter.

*'''Quaintance Smith''' (110) - The man that moved into Holly's apartment after she moved out. "...a new tenant acquired the apartment, his name was Quaintance Smith, and he entertained as many gentlemen callers of a noisy nature as Holly ever had..." (Capote 110).

== Commentary ==
The last section of the novella focuses on the narrator's last regrets concerning Holly. The gossip in the paper dies down and he goes through the months of winter hoping to hear from her. In the time that has passed since she left, a man named Quaintance Smith has moved into her old apartment. He receives far better treatment from Madame Spanella that Holly did. He hosts parties and has the occasional black eye, for which Spanella aids him with "filet mignon" (110).

The headlines in the paper tell of Sally Tomato's death and the disappearance of Holly (109). This sums up the story by having Holly return to her carefree ways by running away again. The narrator seems more worried about where she is than her running away from the law and Sally Tomato's crooked business. Paul Levine writes," there is more than a hint that they form a part of a solid literary phalanx of spiritual non-conformists, of yea-saying rebels whose off-center vision, whose unflagging but unorthodox sense of rightness alienates them from society" (352). Holly Golightly was right in her own way; unfortunately, her sense of rightness didn't hold up in society. It's no wonder that she ran away.

The mention of the Trawlers countersuing for divorce seems to add a humorous turn on the whole affair between Holly, Rusty, and Mag (110). It seems that Mag was only out for money and/or jealousy from the beginning of her affair with Rusty. Holly was not at all affected by their marriage, and proved it by leaving for Rio in search of another life.

After Holly is gone all of her possessions were sold by the owner of the Brownstone. A man named Quantance Smith moves in. Quaintance Smith is considered to be gay. Capote gives his readers a hint when he writes,"...and he(Quaintance Smith) entertained as many gentlemen callers of a noisy nature as Holly ever had..." (Capote 110). Holly was straight and threw parties for male dates. Why was Quaintance Smith throwing parties for men only if he wasn't dating one of them? Pugh Tison writes,"The name "Quaintance" is an allusion to [http://www.apollonetwork.com/archive/quaintance/ George Quaintance], a painter of the 1940's and 1950's, whose art bordered on soft-core gay pornography" (Tison).

The novella ends with the narrator's hope that Holly has finally found a home, a venture in which her cat has been successful. He regrets most that he cannot reach Holly to tell her about the cat. He expresses that whether it be an "African hut or whatever," he hopes Holly "arrived somewhere [she] belonged" (111).

"The [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=dichotomy dichotomy] of good and evil exists in each Capote character just as the dichotomy of daylight and nighttime exists in the [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=aggregate aggregate] of his stories" (Hassan). Everyone of Capote's characters either represents a good presence or a bad presence. Toward the end of the novella, the narrator's love for Holly shows when he spends weeks trying to find her cat. Not too many people would do something for someone else that required so much time and effort.

Even though the narrator has all these regrets, he never expresses any remorse about never telling Holly how he really feels about her. He is so excited to hear from her, and has all these things he wants to tell her. So the narrator is still thinking about her and still in love with her, but he has no desire to know what would have happened if he would have told her how he feels.

== Study Questions ==
#What is the name of the new tenant in Holly's old apartment?
#What happened to her belongings?
#What is the one thing he wishes to tell Holly the most?
#Who found Holly's cat?
#How did Sally Tomato die?
#What day did Sally Tomato die?
#What does the narrator promise Holly?
#Where did Sally Tomato die?
#Where did Holly write from?
#What does the narrator hope Holly will find?
#What is the name of Holly's new friend?
#How long did it take the narrator to find the cat?

== External Resources ==

*Cash, Matthew. [http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bcash/criticalanalysis.html A Travelin' Through the Pastures of the Sky: A Critical Analysis of Breakfast at Tiffany's]. 1996.

== Works Cited ==

* Capote, Truman. ''Breakfast at Tiffany's''. New York: Vintage Books - A division of Random House, 1993.

*Cash, Mathew. ''The Breakfast at Tiffany's Homepage - A Critical Analysis''. 1996. ''University of Michigan''. 14 March 2006. <www.personal.umich.edu/~bcash/criticalanalysis.html>

*Hassan, Ihab H. "Wisconsin Studies in Contemporary Literature". Vol.1, No.2. Spring, 1960. pp.5-21

*Pugh, Tison. ''Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's''. ''The Explicator'' 6 /(2002): 51-53

*Levine, Paul. ''Book Review of Breakfast at Tiffany's/Levine''. ''The Georgia Review'' / 3 (1959): 350-352

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[[Breakfast at Tiffany's]]
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Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 13

2006-03-22T23:09:27Z

Jchapman: /* Notes */

== Summary ==
[[Image:Section 13.jpg|thumb| Holly and the cat]]
The narrator notices the decreasing mention of Holly in the news and finds himself longing to be with her once again. He reads in the headlines of a newspaper about Sally Tomato's death and how Holly is believed to be in Rio. Holly's "abandoned possessions" are sold, and a man named Quaintance Smith moves into her old apartment. Mr. Quaintance entertains as many friends as Holly did, and Madame Spanella has no problem with him or his noisy friends. Madame Spanella evens comes to Mr. Quaintance's aid when he is bruised by one of his guest. Little is heard of from Holly, until the narrator receives a postcard in the spring. It appears she has met someone new and is looking for somewhere to live. Holly informs him that Brazil was too tough, but she has moved to Buenos Aires and she likes it. She explains how it is not Tiffany's but close. The new gentleman that she is interested in is a guy she calls $enor. He is married and has seven children. Holly believes that she is in love with him. The narrator is excited at the thought of hearing from Holly again. He wishes he had an address in which to write Holly to tell her, he read in the newspaper that the Trawlers are getting a divorce and that he is moving out of the brownstone because it is haunted, and that he sold two of his stories. Most important, he wanted Holly to know that he found her cat and he catches himself wondering what the cat's name is now that he has a proper home.

== Notes ==
*'''Arican Hut''' (111) - A single story [http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/mip/leprosy/huts.jpg building] made up of natural materials usually wood, which is used for shelter or a house.
*'''Brazil''' (110) - The largest [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil country] in Eastern South America that was founded by the Portuguese in the 1500. [[Image:Brownstone.jpg|thumb|Brownstone Apartment]]

*'''Brownstone''' (110) - Refers to old brick apartment where Holly once lived.

*'''Buenos Aires''' (110) - The largest [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos-Aires country] in Argentina. Located in the eastern part of the country on the Rio de la Plata. Was founded by the Spanish in 1536. Buenos Aires became the capital of Argentina in 1862.

*'''Countersue''' (110) - Means one party to sue a second party who is already suing the first party.

*'''Flanked''' (110) -Means to be beside someone or something.

*'''Gangland Victim''' (109) - A person who is exploited by underground, orgainized crime.

*'''Gossip-Column''' (109) - A [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossip_column gossip column] is a media feature about celebrities' private serects or rumors that has been spread about them.

*'''Mille Tendresse''' (110) - A term translated into English means, mille: thousand and tendresse: affection. Which close in the American speaking tongue to say lots of love.

*'''Rio''' (109) - [http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~sergiok/brasil/rio.html Rio de Janeiro], a state and a city in Southeastern Brazil.

*'''Sing Sing''' (109) - A [http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious%5Fmurders/famous/sing%5fsing prison] in New York.

*'''Spanish Harlem''' (110) - Area urbanized by the addition of brownstones and apartment buildings in the 1880's. Predominantly Hispanic, it is also referred to as East Harlem, found in New York City.

*'''Two bits''' (109) - [http://www.snopes.com/humor/jokes/quarters.asp quarter] Equal to one quarter.

*'''Quaintance Smith''' (110) - The man that moved into Holly's apartment after she moved out. "...a new tenant acquired the apartment, his name was Quaintance Smith, and he entertained as many gentlemen callers of a noisy nature as Holly ever had..." (Capote 110).

== Commentary ==
The last section of the novella focuses on the narrator's last regrets concerning Holly. The gossip in the paper dies down and he goes through the months of winter hoping to hear from her. In the time that has passed since she left, a man named Quaintance Smith has moved into her old apartment. He receives far better treatment from Madame Spanella that Holly did. He hosts parties and has the occasional black eye, for which Spanella aids him with "filet mignon" (110).

The headlines in the paper tell of Sally Tomato's death and the disappearance of Holly (109). This sums up the story by having Holly return to her carefree ways by running away again. The narrator seems more worried about where she is than her running away from the law and Sally Tomato's crooked business. Paul Levine writes," there is more than a hint that they form a part of a solid literary phalanx of spiritual non-conformists, of yea-saying rebels whose off-center vision, whose unflagging but unorthodox sense of rightness alienates them from society" (352). Holly Golightly was right in her own way; unfortunately, her sense of rightness didn't hold up in society. It's no wonder that she ran away.

The mention of the Trawlers countersuing for divorce seems to add a humorous turn on the whole affair between Holly, Rusty, and Mag (110). It seems that Mag was only out for money and/or jealousy from the beginning of her affair with Rusty. Holly was not at all affected by their marriage, and proved it by leaving for Rio in search of another life.

After Holly is gone all of her possessions were sold by the owner of the Brownstone. A man named Quantance Smith moves in. Quaintance Smith is considered to be gay. Capote gives his readers a hint when he writes,"...and he(Quaintance Smith) entertained as many gentlemen callers of a noisy nature as Holly ever had..." (Capote 110). Holly was straight and threw parties for male dates. Why was Quaintance Smith throwing parties for men only if he wasn't dating one of them? Pugh Tison writes,"The name "Quaintance" is an allusion to [http://www.apollonetwork.com/archive/quaintance/ George Quaintance], a painter of the 1940's and 1950's, whose art bordered on soft-core gay pornography" (Tison).

The novella ends with the narrator's hope that Holly has finally found a home, a venture in which her cat has been successful. He regrets most that he cannot reach Holly to tell her about the cat. He expresses that whether it be an "African hut or whatever," he hopes Holly "arrived somewhere [she] belonged" (111).

"The [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=dichotomy dichotomy] of good and evil exists in each Capote character just as the dichotomy of daylight and nighttime exists in the [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=aggregate aggregate] of his stories" (Hassan). Everyone of Capote's characters either represents a good presence or a bad presence. Toward the end of the novella, the narrator's love for Holly shows when he spends weeks trying to find her cat. Not too many people would do something for someone else that required so much time and effort.

== Study Questions ==
#What is the name of the new tenant in Holly's old apartment?
#What happened to her belongings?
#What is the one thing he wishes to tell Holly the most?
#Who found Holly's cat?
#How did Sally Tomato die?
#What day did Sally Tomato die?
#What does the narrator promise Holly?
#Where did Sally Tomato die?
#Where did Holly write from?
#What does the narrator hope Holly will find?
#What is the name of Holly's new friend?
#How long did it take the narrator to find the cat?

== External Resources ==

*Cash, Matthew. [http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bcash/criticalanalysis.html A Travelin' Through the Pastures of the Sky: A Critical Analysis of Breakfast at Tiffany's]. 1996.

== Works Cited ==

* Capote, Truman. ''Breakfast at Tiffany's''. New York: Vintage Books - A division of Random House, 1993.

*Cash, Mathew. ''The Breakfast at Tiffany's Homepage - A Critical Analysis''. 1996. ''University of Michigan''. 14 March 2006. <www.personal.umich.edu/~bcash/criticalanalysis.html>

*Hassan, Ihab H. "Wisconsin Studies in Contemporary Literature". Vol.1, No.2. Spring, 1960. pp.5-21

*Pugh, Tison. ''Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's''. ''The Explicator'' 6 /(2002): 51-53

*Levine, Paul. ''Book Review of Breakfast at Tiffany's/Levine''. ''The Georgia Review'' / 3 (1959): 350-352

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Narrator

2006-02-21T03:08:24Z

Jchapman:

A '''narrator''' is the person that tells the story in any work of literature or "The voice of the person telling the story, not to be confused with the author’s voice" (Meyer literature).There are different points of view that the story can be told from. There can be a fist person or a third person narrator. In Silko’s "Yellow woman" the narrator is a third person narrator, in other words a person that is not involved in the story that is being told. For one more example, "The narrator of Joyce's "Araby" is not James Joyce himself, but a literary fictional character created expressly to tell the story" (DiYanni). Usualy a third person narrator is ominiscent or all knowing. An ominicent or all knowing narrator will be able to tell the reader the thoughts of all the character in the story. On the other hand a fist person narrator is involved in the story. A fist person narrator will be right in the middle of the action and you will get the story from their perspective. Such as in Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" the reader gets all the action through Montresor's eyes, and only get to know what he is thinking.

== Works cited ==

, Robert, Glossary of Drama Terms, McGraw online learing center, 2002[[http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072405228/student_view0/drama_glossary.html]]

Meyer Literature, www.bedfordstmartins.com/, Glossary of literary terms[[http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/literature/bedlit/glossary_l.htm]]

Narrator

2006-02-16T01:33:28Z

Jchapman:

A '''narrator''' is the person that tells the story in any work of literature. There are different points of view that the story can be told from. There can be a fist person or a third person narrator. In Silko’s Yellow woman the narrator is a third person narrator, in other words a person that is not involved in the story that is being told. On the other hand a fist person narrator is involved in the story. A fist person narrator will be right in the middle of the action and you will get the story from their perspective.

== Works cited ==

Merriam-Webster online [http://www.webster.com/dictionary/narrator]

[[http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072405228/student_view0/drama_glossary.html]]

[[http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/literature/bedlit/glossary_l.htm]]