Essay/Term paper: Breakfast at tiffany's

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Cliff Notes

Breakfast at Tiffany"s by Truman Capote is about the thought that

friendship can make a person take drastic measures in helping a friend.

The setting is New York City. The point of view is first person limited.

Seen through the eyes of the narrator, called "Fred" ( the main character ),

who is a starting writer. I enjoyed the story because it was very interesting

to learn and experience life in old New York.



The story starts out, probably in the present time, when "Fred", who

had now been living in New York for a great deal of time, goes into his

friend Joe Bell"s bar for a drink. There he learns the his long time friend,

Holly Golightly, is still alive by the use of a photograph from an explorer

which shows a wood carving made by a tribesman which bears the

uncanny resemblance to Holly. After this encounter, "Fred" begins to

reminisce about his past with Holly and all of their wild adventures.



"Fred"s" first meeting with Holly was through his apartment window.

Holly Golightly is a nineteen year-old self-sufficient woman. Some of her

personality traits are admirable, affectionate, while cold hearted. She is

motivated in life by striving for her purpose in life, which is to be rich and

famous while keeping her ego. She believes that love is not sexual.

Holly, trying to escape a horrible date, decides to visit her new downstairs

neighbor. There she practically tells "Fred" everything about her life. Fred

was a name Holly chose for "Fred" because he looked like her brother

Fred, but since the point of view is first person, the narrator refers to

himself throughout the story as "I", but Holly generally refers to him as

"Fred". In "Fred"s" apartment, Holly tells "Fred" about her involvement with

a imprisoned drug runner name Sally Tomato, a stock mobster character

who pays Holly to visit him. "Fred" learns more about Holly"s friends when

he attends a party hosted by Holly. There he meets Rusty Trawler, Holly"s

current boyfriend, Mag Wildwood, a cunning southern bell from Arkansas

who would eventually steal away Holly"s boyfriend. "Fred" realizes that

Holly"s friends are not the usual type of people that attend parties. Which

is described when Mag first enters the party and says in her southern

accent, " You b-b-boys not vexed at me for butting in on your p-p-party."

Mag says this even though everybody knows she was attending. The tone

of the story is funny and sarcastic.



The action then abruptly changes when Holly, Mag, Rusty, and

Mag"s boyfriend, Jose` Ybarra-Jaegar, an eccentric Brazilian politician,

went on a trip to Brazil. There Mag steals Holly"s boyfriend, Rusty, and

Holly does the same with Mag"s boyfriend, Jose`. When they get back,

Holly is detected by her former husband. "Fred" then learns that Holly"s

real name was Lulamae Barnes before she was married as a child bride to

a southerner named Doc Golightly. Also, over this period of time, Holly"s

involvement with Mag"s ex-boyfriend drives Mag away. This is a very

rough time for Holly. In order to ease the pain and pass the time, Holly

spend more and more time with "Fred" drinking in Joe Bell"s bar. Joe Bell

is a shy bar owner who conceals his feeling about the rambunctious Holly.

Even though he is in love with her, Joe keeps his feelings hidden.

Everything is fine till one day after horse-back riding. After "Fred" has a

sever accident, involving a horse and an abrupt trip downtown, Holly is

suddenly arrested for being involved in a drug triangle with Sally Tomato.

Apparently, Sally was using Holly to relay information from him to his drug

empire outside the prison walls. At this same moment "Fred" finds out that

Jose` is leaving Holly and he has to tell her the news. The theme is

reinforced in these chapters by the way the narrator goes out of his way to

do things for his friend, Holly. They go horse back riding, even though

"Fred" is uneasy about riding. They also decide to steal masks from a

costume store.



After all of these horrible things happen to Holly, she decides to

break out of jail and move to Brazil. Even though "Fred" knows she is

probably never coming back, he still has hope for Holly"s return. And he

shares that hope with Joe Bell at his bar. "Fred" knows that he would

have done anything to keep his and Holly"s relationship strong. Which is

the theme of the story: friendship can make a person take drastic

measures in helping a friend. Holly Golightly was just a lost romantic. A

surreal person living in a real word. Dealing with real people and problems

in an unorthodox way. So, if you"re ever in Brazil and you happen to see

Holly, tell her that "Fred" is doing fine.