When reading one of the 1001 Books, I try to pay attention to the whys of its inclusion. For as little as I know about Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s
seems to fit him perfectly.
The famous central character is Holly Golightly, but we see her through the unnamed narrator’s eyes only. Therefore, the story becomes an interesting exercise in reality and attribution.
They are both outsiders looking in. One, the narrator, seems to want to make in roads into the norm—get a job, become an established writer, etc. Holly, meanwhile, is trying as hard as she can to be on the fringe.
Regardless of where they think they want to be, he continues to be drawn to the outside just as she continues to yearn for the inside. Throughout the story, we experience their struggles for the safe and the free, for the known and the unknown, for the belonging and the untethered.
Even with all his narration, we don’t really get to know the man well. And because it is his narration, we can’t be sure how close we’re getting to Holly. This is a modern—and I would say urban—aspect of the novelette.
New York City is the setting and sets the scene. Holly mentions over and over again how much she loves the place. The city, however, creates acquaintances who come and go. You see people, perhaps even quite often, but are you friends? Does love and connection take on a different reality in this environment?
The story is also set during WWII. With the draft, the futures of every young man were uncertain. Women stepped into aspects of society that they were previously not welcomed. War rationing limited certain goods, but the US also experienced the boom of a war economy. Best of times, worst of times.
The characters in this story reflect these conditions and the changing worldviews of the young people. It was a time of energy and change. People could think bigger and in ways that never occurred to their parents.
I have to admit that I expected the language to have been better than it was though. I didn’t feel that the writing fit the hustle and bustle of this world. The sentences ran on too long and the word connects (why one word is next to another word) were a bit too clunky for my tastes.
I read the other short stories bundled into this volume: House of Flowers, A Diamond Guitar, and A Christmas Memory. They explore similar themes—of safe and free, home and the world. But the language is so much better in the other works. They fit each of the individual stories.
I know others will probably disagree with me, but while I can appreciate the characters and greater motifs of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, I don’t think it is Truman Capote’s best work. It, however, is the story that I can picture him best writing. It seems to be the most him.
1% Well-Read Challenge status: six completed, four to go.
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Tags: Books by Ms. SP
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This book is a wonderful way to engage in her legacy. The descriptions of Gombe are lyrical. The structure is inspired. Her messages are powerful in their simplicity. Even if I didn’t enjoy the content so much, I would still admire this work as a wonderfully well done piece of non-fiction.
