In Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote, Holly Golightly’ s life isn’t directly told from her point of view, but her life is told by various people within the novel; as a result, this causes a difference between storytelling and point of view. Holly’s life is told from three character’s point of view within the novel. The difference between these points of views and storytelling will be revealed in this essay.
The narrator tells his experiences with Holly and her weaknesses and strengths from his point of view. He enjoys the company of Holly and will do practically anything for her. The Narrator reminds Holly of her brother Fred (20). The friendship between Holly and the Narrator is shown throughout the novel. The narrator has a positive view on how he portrays Holly. He often lets Holly use him to her advantage sometimes within the story, but the narrator has patience and understanding towards Holly. The main character telling the story is very passive when it comes to situations that revolve around Holly. The narrator is forced to acquiesce or give in to certain dilemmas that he encounters within the novel. One of the most important things to the narrator is Holly finding happiness regardless of the obstacles the narrator telling the story has to go through. The narrator and Holly can be seen as foil characters. The differences between the both of them help Holly and the Narrator get along quite well throughout the story. At times, they will disagree on certain topics, but overall Holly and the narrator have a good and steady relationship. Through the good and the bad, Holly and the narrator are still friends.
O.J. Berman views Holly as a fake and phony individual based on his interactions with her (30). He thinks that she ...
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...Criticism. Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Vol. 93. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 26 July 2010.
2. Capote, Truman. Breakfast at Tiffany’s. New York, NY: Randon House. 1958. Print
3. Dapos; Arcy, Chantal Cornut-Gentille. "Who's Afraid of the Femme Fatale in Breakfast at Tiffany's?: Exposure and Implications of a Myth." Gender, I-Deology: Essays on Theory, Fiction, and Film. Ed. Chantal Cornut-Gentille D'Arcy and José Angel García Landa. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1996. 371-383. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Vol. 93. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 26 July 2010.
4. Pugh, Tison. "Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's." The Explicator 61.1 (Fall 2002): 51-53. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Vol. 93. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 26 July 2010.
After reading the passage, “Clover”, by Billy Lombardo, a reader is able to describe a particular character’s interactions and analyze descriptions of this individual. In the passage, “Clover”, is a teacher, Graham. He, in his classroom, shares something that had occurred that morning. In this passage, the author, Billy Lombardo, describes interaction, responses, and unique characteristics and traits of the key character, Graham.
Holly Janquell is a runaway. Wendelin Van Draanan creates a twelve year old character in the story, Runaway, that is stubborn and naive enough to think she can live out in the streets alone, until she is eighteen.She has been in five foster homes for the past two years. She is in foster care because her mother dies of heroin overdose. In her current foster home, she is abused, locked in the laundry room for days without food, and gets in even more trouble if she tries to fight back. Ms.Leone, her schoolteacher, could never understand her, and in Holly’s opinion, probably does not care. No one knows what she is going through, because she never opens up to any one. Ms. Leone gives Holly a journal at school one day and tells her to write poetry and express her feelings. Holly is disgusted. But one day when she is sitting in the cold laundry room, and extremely bored, she pulls out the diary, and starts to write. When Holly can take no more of her current foster home, she runs, taking the journal with her. The journal entries in her journal, are all written as if she is talking to Ms.Leone, even though she will probably never see her again. Over the course of her journey, Holly learns to face her past through writing, and discovers a love for poetry. At some point in this book, Holly stops venting to Ms. Leone and starts talking to her, almost like an imaginary friend, and finally opens up to her.
...ll 2004): 47-62. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Vol. 111. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 3 May 2014. .
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...simov. Ed. Joseph D. Olander and Martin Harry Greenberg. N.p.: Taplinger, 1977. 32-58. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jean C. Stine. Vol. 26. Detroit: Gale, 1983. 41-45. Print.
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...tory Criticism. By Jelena Krstovic. Vol. 92. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 86-93. Literature Criticism Online. Web. 31 Mar. 2010.
One day when Holly and the narrator go for a walk through Fifth Avenue on a beautiful Autumn day Holly seems interested in the narrator's childhood without really telling him about her own, even though talking about herself is something she does quite often. "...it was elusive, nameless, placeless, an impressionistic recital, though the impression received was contrary to what one expected, for she gave an almost voluptuous account of swimming in summer, Christmas trees, pretty cousins and parties: in short, happy in a way she was not, and never, certainly, the background of a child who had run away" (54). Holly's character has such a dramatic flair that the reader nor the narrator never really know what to expect from her. On some occasions she will openly talk about outrageous taboos with perfect strangers and on others she will claw like a cat anyone who gets too close to her: "I asked her how and why she left home so young. She looked at me blankly, and rubbed her nose, as though it tickled: a gesture, seeing often repeated, I came to recognize as a signal that one was trespassing" (20). Holly is not only a physical paradox of a girl and a woman, but so is her personality, she has an odd mixture of child-like innocence and street smart sexuality.
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164-69. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 341. Detroit: Gale, 2013.Artemis Literary Sources. Web. 5 May 2014.
"You can make yourself love anybody." (p.41) She also even puts down women, even though she says "I've got him on my hands he's harmless, he thinks girls are dolls literally." (p.43) She would do anything for money, even visit criminals in jail (Sally Tomato) just for money. A modern woman or a woman of today would not be caught dead acting like Holly. A 90's women is only dependent on herself, because women now get equal opportunities and rights for everything. Even in the workplace now too. Another thing that differs in a modern woman, is the rate of single women who got divorced.
Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jay Parini. Vol. 14. Detroit: Gale Research, 1987. Literature Resource Center. Web. 24 Jan. 2012.