Breakfast at Tiffany's

 

The most disappointing thing about Breakfast at Tiffany’s is that no one has breakfast at Tiffany’s. The second most disappointing thing is the inconclusiveness of the ending.
            

But after some retrospection, I realised that’s the point of the novel. Holly Golightly is a ‘wild thing’ who cannot be expected to stay in one place or be tracked after she decides to leave. This is shown by the way she never gives the narrator her address.
           

 At first impression, I thought: ‘Oh god, it’s another one of these manic pixie dream girls’. However, the manic pixie dream girl is a character who exists to complement the story of some boring male. Holly, on the other hand, exists only for herself. She has no intention of living in a cage, being confined or being attached to anyone.

‘Holly said she couldn’t bear to see anything in a cage’ (1958/2000:52)

This quote applies not only to the animals at the zoo, but to Holly herself, who runs away from the caged life her husband in Texas offers (2000:69).

Robert Emmet Long contends that Capote wrote Holly as ‘an innocent who lives naively, from the heart. She is a dreamer, a girl-woman waif who lives in a corrupt world without being, herself, corrupted’ (2014:77). Holly is in search of a purpose, a way to live in the world without being brought down. Capote expresses that he hopes she finds this place:

‘I wondered what his name was, for I was certain he had one now, certain he’d arrived somewhere he belonged. African hut or whatever, I hope Holly has, too.’

2000:100

This quote also refers to the cat. The cat is, predictably, my favourite character. I believe he represents Holly. He has no name, and she uses a fake one. They are both ‘independents’ who happened to find one another (2000:98). However, in the end, she realises:

‘Oh Jesus God. We did belong to each other. He was mine.’

2000:99

I think this proves two things. Number one: Holly is a good person despite never staying in anyone’s life for long. Second, it proves that no matter how much we try to run away, it’s human nature to form bonds, especially with cute animals.

I will adopt you :(

 

Emmet Long believes Holly Golightly is ‘an enigma’. He questions whether she is ‘a saint or a fool in her endless pursuit of authentic love in a dishonest world’ (2014:77). What do you think?

References:

Capote T (2000) Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Penguin Group, London.

Long R (2008) Truman Capote Enfant Terrible, Continuum, New York.