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| == Summary == | | == Summary == |
| Section eight of Truman Capote's <i>BaT</i> begins with the title to a shocking newspaper clipping. It reads, "Trawler marries fourth" (74). The narrator reads this clip while riding the subway home from an unsuccessful job interview. He immediately assumes that Rusty Trawler, a playboy that the narrator has come to loath, has taken Holly to be his fourth wife. His first wish after reading this portion of the article is to be underneath the wheels of the train. He justifies his wish by explaining the recent comings and goings in his life. His "mean reds," as he puts it, come from many places at once. First of all, he admits that he has been recently fired from his job. The details of his dismissal are "too complicated to recount" (75). Secondly, he has reason to believe that his draft board is pursuing him in an effort to get him to join the military. He says, "The idea of entering another form of disciplined life made me desperate" (75). This causes his frustration to multiply because he cannot seem to find a job. In fact his unfruitful interview with the ''PM,'' a newspaper now closed down, is what he is returning from at the beginning of this section. Most obviously, he believes that Holly has married a man that he completely detests. His mounting jealousy causes him to admit that he does, in fact, love Holly. He also notes that his love for Holly is an identical love that he has experienced with an elderly colored cook and an entire family, probably friends, that he knew when he was younger. Upon reaching the station, he breaks down to his curiosity and buys a paper in order to read the entire article. Much to his surprise, Rusty did not marry Holly! He married Holly's roommate Mag Wildwood. His excitement that Holly is not married to Rusty causes his legs to shake so badly that he must ride a cab home instead of walking. | | Section eight of Truman Capote's <i>BaT</i> begins with the title to a shocking newspaper clipping. It reads, "Trawler marries fourth" (74). The narrator reads this clip while riding the subway home from an unsuccessful job interview with “PM”, a newspaper that is now closed. He immediately assumes that Rusty Trawler has taken Holly to be his fourth wife. This immediately triggers the infamous “mean reds”. After going through an emotional battle with himself on the train ride, he bought a paper and finished the headline. It ends up Rusty married Mag, not Holly! |
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| The surprises seem to keep coming for the narrator when he finally reaches his apartment building. Madame Spanella is screaming in fear for the police to come. The narrator also notes quite a din coming from a higher floor. Madame Spanella raves, "She is killing somebody! Somebody is killing her!" (76). Instead of going for help the narrator bounds up the steps to the source of the noises which is, of course, Holly's door. After pounding the door with a fist, the noises subside, but no matter how many times he calls, Holly will not come to the door. He futilely throws himself at the door, trying to break in, until Jose Ybarra-Jager, Mag Wildwood's ex-fiance, arrives on the scene followed by a doctor. The narrator crossly notes that Jose opens the door to the apartment with his own key. Following the other two men inside, the narrator finds the apartment in disarray, the cat lapping up milk from the floor (the milk was spilled in the fray), and Holly standing, rigid on the bed. She is muttering an incoherent description of her brother, Fred. The doctor quickly begins to vocally soothe Holly as well as injecting her with a sedative. Jose continues asking the doctor (in bad English) if "Her only sickness is grief?" (78). Annoyed with Jose's questions, he forcefully ejects the other two men from the room. Jose, in anger, chases the snooping Madame Spanella out of the room, and he almost repeats this action with the narrator. In the end though, Jose invites the narrator to sit with him and have a drink which happens to be the only bottle that survived Holly's rampage. Through conversation, the narrator learns that all Jose is worried about is how people might think that he caused Holly to have such a terrible fit. Jose is a politician, and he is afraid of being defaced. Later, Jose finds a telegram on the floor that explains Holly's tantrum. The telegram is a message from Doc, Holly's husband, sent to inform Holly of her brother's death in the war.
| | When he reaches his apartment building, Madame Spanella is screaming for the police to come, and he hears a lot of noise coming from Holly’s apartment. The narrator goes and bangs on Holly’s door and everything seems to quite down, but no matter how many times he calls, Holly will not come to the door. He tries to break it down, until Jose Ybarra-Jager, Mag Wildwood's ex-fiancé, arrives with a doctor. Jose opens the apartment door with his own key and the trio proceeds in. They find the apartment in complete disarray. The cat is lapping up milk from the floor, and Holly standing, rigid on the bed. She is muttering an incoherent description of her brother, Fred. The doctor begins to soothe Holly and inject her with a sedative. Jose continues asks the doctor if "Her only sickness is grief?" (78). With this question, the doctor kicks both Jose and the narrator out of the room. Out of anger, Jose kicks Madame Spanella out and he almost repeats this action with the narrator. Instead Jose invites the narrator to sit with him and have a drink, which happens to be the only bottle that survived Holly's rampage. They find the telegram that induced Holly’s tantrum saying that Fred was killed in action. Later on Holly gives the narrator the name “Buster”. |
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| After that day, Holly seems to hibernate. She ceases to talk about her brother (a once common occurrence). She also stops calling the narrator Fred. She now re-dubs him "Buster." He observes that Holly's hair gets darker and she puts on a lot of weight. On a positive note, Holly becomes quite a home maker. She purchases many classy items to decorate her apartment such as: tapestries, Gothic arm chairs, and several other ambiance producing items. Furthermore, the purchase of cookbooks leads to Holly's becoming a very good cook. Oddly enough though, she could only cook delicacies. When she tries to scramble eggs, she simply burns them.
| | While Jose is out of town for business, the narrator and Holly meet to go on walks or to go out to dinner. During a conversation, the narrator learns that Holly is six weeks pregnant. She says she wants to have nine children with Jose, and ceaselessly talks about how much she looks forward to moving with Jose to Rio. She insists that she is in love with Jose, but she seems to find a fault in every habit that Jose has. She even says that Jose is not her idea of a perfect man. "If I were free to...," Holly continues, "I would not pick Jose" (82). The narrator, after hearing so much about Jose begins to dislike Jose. He even stops saying Jose's name while he is speaking to Holly and simply refers to Jose as "Him." Later, on an outing, Holly observes ships sailing by and exclaims," one day, one of those ships would bring me back, me and my nine Brazilin brats"(84). The narrator, tired of hearing about her "brats" and Jose, says "Do shut up"(85). He clearly felt left out, "like a tug boat in dry-dock while she, glittery voyager of secure destination, steamed down the harbor with whistles whistling and confetti in the air" (85). |
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| Jose, being a diplomat, works in Washington D.C. three days out of the week. While he is gone, the narrator and Holly meet to go on walks or to go out to dinner. During a conversation, the narrator learns that Holly is six weeks pregnant. She then rambles on about how she wants to have nine children with Jose, and ceaselessly talks about how much she looks forward to moving with Jose to Rio. In fact the only regret that Holly mentions is that she wishes that she could have been a virgin for Jose. She insists that she is in love with Jose, but she seems to find a fault in every habit that Jose has. She even says that Jose is not her idea of a perfect man. "If I were free to...," Holly continues, "I would not pick Jose" (82). The narrator, after hearing so much about Jose (more than he would like), begins to dislike Jose very much. He even stops saying Jose's name while he is speaking to Holly and simply refers to Jose as "Him." Holly moves to a different subject and talks about giving up her horoscopes. She believes that this is an example of a good deed. She thinks that "good things happen to those that are good" (83). Later, on an outing, Holly observes ships sailing by and exclaims," one day, one of those ships would bring me back, me and my nine Brazillion brats"(84). The narrator, tired of hearing about her "brats" and Jose, says "Do shut up"(85). He clearly felt left out, "like a tug boat in drydock while she, glittery voyager of secure destination, steamed down the harbor with whistles whistling and confetti in the air" (85). | |
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| == Notes == | | == Notes == |