- Published: September 1, 2022
- Updated: September 1, 2022
- Level: Secondary School
- Language: English
- Downloads: 21
The story of Breakfast at Tiffany’s focuses on the life of Holly Golightly through the narration of an un d man. As the story unfolds, this paper would serve as character guide to the future readers of the story. By subjecting the characters of Joe Bell, Mag Wildwood, Rusty Trawler, Jose Yberra-Jaegar, and Fred and Doc Golightly into analysis, the readers will see how every one of them has contributed to the story of the heroin Holly Golightly as seen by the character’s constant but sometimes uninvited companion, the narrator.
Joe Bell. Joe, the owner of the bar where the narrator frequently met Holly, is nonetheless a caring person. Yet, Joe tries to hide it and mostly is determined to show less of the emotions he feels for another. The narrator even described him as a man who is not easy to get along with; but interestingly, he showed that he cared for Holly like he had not cared for any other although he did not deliberately do so. For a man who is often exposed to the unkind and indifferent parts of the community, it is understood how hard it must be for Joe to demonstrate how he truly feels for anybody.
Mag Wildwood. The character Mag, on the other hand, is an example of a complicated woman. She drifts from displaying a certain trait to another so easily. From being a friend to whom Holly agreed to be a roommate to judging Holly of going to bed with her then-fiancé, Mag is an unreliable woman as she refused to help her “ friend” Holly from being arrested after she was held “ involved” of a crime a certain Sally Tomato was engaged to.
Rusty Trawler. The man Holly was always with in the story except from the narrator, Rusty Trawler, is an example of a fearful man who has allowed the pressures of society get hold of him and the way he lives his life. He almost had everything: money and power. However, he had not been true to himself and his being gay. He used women, Holly included; and pretended that he was a true man. After all the time Holly spent with him, Rusty married for the fourth time and did it with Mag; leaving Holly alone. From being untrue to himself, he also turned out to be selfish.
Jose Yberra-Jaeger. The presence of Jose in the life of Holly presents to the readers an instance when a person meets someone he or she would find the things that he or she was “ looking for” but ends up disappointed. Although Jose seemed to be a person who really cared for Holly, bringing along a doctor when she became devastated of her brother’s death and allowing her to pretend like his housewife, he was nevertheless a practical man. He was practical, yes, and not selfish, as he thought of his family’s sake and not only of himself as he realizes how scandalous it would be to be romantically involved with a crime suspect Holly while he maintains a political position in Brazil.
Fred and Doc Golightly. The characters of Fred and Doc are also worth noting as their presence in Holly’s past helps the readers see the side of her that she has intentionally not spoken of. Although there is not enough information of their character as they are only mentioned and appeared limitedly, the existence of their characters helped show Holly’s vulnerability as she portrayed great concern for her brother and became emotionally attached to an old man who asked her to marry him at the age of fourteen.
The Narrator. The character of the narrator shows us how we, as people, become inclined to other people’s lives and become part of it as theirs become part of ours too. Even though he presents himself as a separate character, it is apparent that the narrator only intended us to focus on Holly’s character, what he sees in her and the strange things that is revolving in her life. Nevertheless, despite his mysterious façade, we come to think of the narrator – who was named Fred earlier in the story – is a passionate man who pay heed on things and people he has found himself falling for such as writing and Holly. He, as well, is typical as he feels appropriate emotions; and is at the same time atypical as he seem to focus on things outside of himself more than what is normal that he even managed to examine Holly’s trash to feed his curiosity of her. All the same, he has become a hero of his own right in Holly’s life.
Holly Golightly. Lastly, Capote is able to communicate through the eyes of the narrator Holly’s ways of dealing through the extraordinarily harsh happenings of her life. By browsing down, it is clear that what Holly is doing [spending time in bed with different men for money] is a result of the lack of guidance of family which is treated vital in building a teenager’s character. It also supports the reason why she settles with relationships which are only superficial in nature. However, it is as well obvious that regardless of her being isolated from any emotional connections with other people, including the narrator [and also even with her cat], Holly is not at all a self-consumed person as she cares for her brother unselfishly; and like many of us, she stays hopeful that her strange way of living will change as she try to travel from place to place until she finds her home.