Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 5
Summary
The protagonist begins working a nine to five job and, as a result, sees less of Holly Golightly. One day, he sees Holly walking into a library. He observes her without her knowledge, and then he examines the books on her table after she leaves. He discovers that she is reading up on Brazil. Watching her read, the narrator compares her to a girl he knew in school, Mildred. They were totally opposite each other but yet like Siamese twins.
The narration shifts to a party on Christmas Eve in Holly's apartment. The narrator is asked to come over and help trim the Christmas tree. Holly gives the narrator an expensive, antique bird cage for Christmas; he gives Holly a St. Christopher's medal from Tiffany's. The cost of the bird cage was three hundred and fifty dollars. Holly wasn't excited about the cost, she made just a few more trips to the powder room so she could afford the bird cage. Holly and the narrator had a big argument and apparently Holly decided to give the narrator's story to O.J. Berman without his consent. O.J. Berman published the story in the university review.
In February, Holly, Rusty, Mag, and José took a trip to the tropics. In Key West, Mag becomes severely sunburned, and Rusty is injured in a fight with some sailors. Both are hospitalized, so José and Holly travel to Havana. Mag becomes suspicious that José and Holly are sleeping together, so Holly tells Mag that she is a lesbian. Holly recounts these events as the protagonist gives her a back massage. Mag goes out and buy an army cot to sleep on so she want have to share the bed with a lesbian. They become engaged in an argument, the protagonist is tempted to hit Holly, and Holly throws the narrator out of her apartment: "It should take you about four seconds to walk from here to the door. I'll give you two."(63)
Notes
- hither (55) - to this place (seldom used except in poetry and legal papers).
- yonning (55) - distant but in sight. From yon.
- overhaul (58) - a major repair or revision.
- baubles (59) - Christmas ornaments that are decorations (usually made of glass, metal, wood or ceramics) that are used to festoon a Christmas tree.
- St. Christopher's medal (59) - a small medallion depicting the patron saint against lightning; against pestilence; archers; automobile drivers; automobilists; bachelors, etc.
