The Character (Breakfast at Tiffany’s)

Holiday “Holly” Golightly has to be one of the most exceptional characters I have ever read about. Then again, I haven’t read many books. In Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Capote writes about the protagonist recounting the memory of an eccentric neighbor who lived in his apartment building on the Upper East Side. Holly Golightly was not any ordinary girl, yet, from my reading of the story, she seemed to have fit in so nicely with the rest of the city.

Her character itself was a powerful one, always dictating the flow of the plot that surrounds her, and always dictating what the other characters should do. This is evident throughout the story as she only does what she wants to do regardless if it will bring her fame or fortune, as in the case of her story with OJ. I felt her character was so powerful that the protagonist kept getting swept away by her, long after she left. Perhaps it was love. Perhaps it was such a difference in their personalities.

But as powerful as Holly’s character was, due to the existence of other characters, Holly is the way she is. For example, it was Doc Golightly that found and raised Holly after she and her brother ran away from foster care, and perhaps, it was there that she began to feel a sense of responsibility not to the world around her, but a sense of responsibility to herself; Holly only seeks pleasure from life. It was probably also during that time that Holly began to have a taste for older men. Following her departure from the farm, she was scouted by OJ Berman and through him, her accent was gone and she picked up French.

I also especially loved the fact that these two characters existed because through them, Capote was able to tell the stories behind Holly that molded her into the way she is. Those characters also explained so many questions the reader had, such as “Who exactly is Holly? Where did she come from? Why are you so eccentric? What happened to you?”

In addition, each and every single character that starred in the book had some ultimate role revolving around Holly. For example,  I.Y. Yunioshi, was only mentioned in the beginning of the book. But I see his role as somewhat iconic in the fact that through him, the protagonist meets Holly, not once, but twice I would say. The first time is when Yunioshi decides that enough is enough and tells Holly to no longer ring his bell to let her in. Then, Holly decides to bother the narrator and through that, a friendship, and an unrequited love, blossoms. (Holly just enjoyed the company of the narrator in my opinion though she seemed to have a problem with boundaries).

The second time would actually be the first instance in the book when Joe Bell calls the narrator to the bar to tell him that there was a sign of Holly in, of all the places, Africa. This sign would turn out to be a head carving in her resemblance, as shown in photos taken by none other than I.Y. Yunioshi. I would not call this a meeting but more a rediscovery of sorts. It would be the second time, in chronological order, that Mr. Yunioshi introduces the Holly to the protagonist. Of course, this second time, the protagonist remembers Holly and decides to write the story of his time with her. This is the second meeting: a recount of the first.

Sachin A. Heerah