Since “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was published, the sexuality
of our narrator/character “Fred” has been questioned by a number of critics and
even just the general reading population. After doing a bit of research, I
couldn’t locate any particular or concrete sources either verifying or denying
Fred’s sexual preferences (besides various bloggers claiming Capote has
“explicitly stated that Fred is gay” without providing any sort of sources),
but the possibility left me thinking about the relationship between Fred and
Holly- why hadn’t it, like many of the relationships Holly has shared with
other characters, become sexual? Based on his behavior as both character and narrator,
could Fred’s being gay prove plausible?
What struck me primarily about Fred as a character was that
he, unlike plenty of the other characters in the story, never gave himself to
Holly (or anyone else, for that matter) sexually; He never thought about it,
and he never discusses dating anyone.
As a matter of fact, the only time Fred ever mentions someone being very
attractive is in his description of José Yabarra-Jaegar: “by the time we had I
was charmed…his brown head and bullfighter’s figure had…a perfection…something
nature had made just right” (45). Additionally, I found it noteworthy that the
only time Holly’s flirtatious qualities are dropped is in his presence, and it
is made clear to the reader that she doesn’t expect a sexual relationship from
him, unlike her expectations for the other men with whom she interacts. However,
none of this really dawned on me until a second reading. The first time through, I just assumed that
Fred was heterosexual (why would anyone think otherwise?) and was so concerned
and interested in Holly because he was unashamedly in love with her. And for
more than half of the text, I thought I was right, until Fred blatantly admits: “For I was
in love with her. Just as I’d once been in love with my mother’s elderly
colored cook and a postman who let me follow him on his rounds and a whole
family named McKendrick. That category of love generates jealousy, too” (72).
At that point, I began to ponder the idea of Fred being gay- it struck me as so
contrasted to the feelings I had been
led to believe Fred felt for Holly. I was stunned and intrigued.
That being said, just because Fred isn’t attracted to Holly
doesn’t mean he isn’t interested in women at all, and it would be offensive to
think so. However, his behavior toward her (and lack of romantic/sexual desire,
according to our narrator); his not mentioning any attraction toward women
throughout the text; Holly’s strange behavior toward him that sets him apart
from the other men in her life; and Fred’s only brief mentioning of attraction
directed toward a man, I don’t believe that the idea should be immediately dismissed.
Knowing Capote identified as homosexual, and that when asked, he “described the
novel as…an emotional, or spiritual, autobiography, if not an actual literal
one”, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to discuss
Fred’s own preferences and how that would change anything in the story. [1]
While I myself haven’t formulated a truly solid opinion
concerning Fred’s sexuality even after all of this speculation, I actually
appreciate the fact that it isn’t clearly stated in the text and is left
questionable. It’s an interesting contrast to the rampant sexual nature of many
of the other characters and the general stark honesty and openness concerning
Holly and her own preferences. Fred’s inwardness is preferable to me personally
because most people don’t really project that kind of information to others and
rather choose to keep it to themselves, and Fred’s reality-grounded character
in that sense is appealing to me.
[1] Real, Jure. "Truman Capote." Magill's Survey of American
Literature. Ed. Steven G. Kellman. Revised Edition ed. 1 Vol. Salem Press
Inc, 2006. 397-406. Print.
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