Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 9
Summary
The narrator awaits the morning mail on September 30th to receive birthday cards from his family. While waiting, Holly shows up and invites him to go horseback riding in Central Park and give farewell to her favorite horse, Mabel Minerva, before leaving to move to Brazil with Jose. While riding through the park, negro boys jump from behind the bushes and attack their horses. The narrators horse bolts out of control and he falls off when the horse comes to a halt.
The narrator soaks in his tub while Holly waits to rub liniment on him. Madame Spanella and two detectives burst into his apartment to arrest Holly for her connection with Sally Tomato. Holly offends the lady detective by calling her a bull-dyke and the detective slaps her. That evening Holly’s and Mr. Tomato’s lawyers (Oliver “Father” O’Shaughnessy) arrests are advertised in the news.
Notes
- Ambush(87)- An act or instance of lying concealed so as to attack by surprise.
- Bull-dyke (93)- A term for a lesbian that usually exhibits masculine traits.
- Fedora (90)- A hat that is creased lengthwise down the crown and pinched in the front on both sides. It is often worn by people associated with the mafia.
- Heir (85)- A person who inherits the estate of a deceased person. Property left to a person in a will is not an heir but a legatee.
- Mabel Minerva(85)- A horse that Holly had to say good-bye to.
- Pin·cer(88)- A maneuver in which an enemy force is attacked from two flanks and the front.
- Stable(87)- A building for the lodging and feeding of animals, especially horses or cattle.
- Vestibule (85)- An entrance hall or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.
Commentary
Study Questions
- When is the narrator's birthday?
- What is Mabel Minerva?
- What did O'Shaughnessy send Holly as a wedding present from Sally Tomato?
- How did Holly save the narrator's life?
- What was Holly arrested for? Where did her arrest take place?
- O'Shaughnessy had two nicknames in the crimeland cirles. Name one of the two.
- What was the last thing Holly instructed the narrator to do in this section?