Fred: the narrator

When reading Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote, many people criticize Holly Golightly and see her in a negative light. However, this may be a result of the narrator. Truman Capote uses the narrator, whom Holly refers to as “Fred”, to tell Holly’s story. Thus, readers only see the novel through Fred’s eyes.

            With Fred as narrator, readers only read about the things Fred does, hears, or sees. Any private conversations that Holly has without Fred are lost to the readers. Thus, the only ‘side’ of her that readers can see is the one that Fred tells us. Of course, Fred does eavesdrop on a few of her conversations, such as the one she has with Mag Wildwood sitting on the fire escape. Other than this, most conversations the reader is privy to include or involve Fred. Therefore, the reader doesn’t know how Holly acts when she’s with somebody else. An omnipresent narrator would have been able to depict every detail of Holly’s life. If she went to a party, her interactions there would have been a part of the novel and thus may have affected the readers’ perceptions of Holly. The narrator, however, is one of Holly’s friends.

The narrator, himself, is a character with the novel. Due to this, he can’t know Holly’s private thoughts or justifications. If the novel had been told in first person, the novel would have been drastically changed. Fred only sees Holly’s actions. He is present for her odd schedule and various callers. However, he doesn’t receive justifications for why she did something. He is told that she went through foster care, was a child wife, and ran away, but other than that, he doesn’t know much about her. The only time she feels the need to justify her actions is after Doc visits. Fred draws many of his own conclusions about who she is and why, further influencing the readers.

Finally, the readers opinions are also swayed based on Holly’s treatment of Fred. It is obvious from the beginning that Fred is obsessed with Holly. He looks at her trash and keeps track of her hours. When she decides that she loves José, he beings referring to him as ‘that man’. Despite all of this, Holly doesn’t seem to really care about him. During a conversation with Mag Wildwood she says that all he wants is to be on the inside. She tends to take his presence for granted. After they have a big fight, when Fred knocks on her door, she assumes it’s to make up and tells him they can have a drink the next day. She never thought the fight was her fault or that she should be the one to apologize. She simply assumed he’d be the one who tried to fix things. Furthermore, both the beginning and the end of the novel suggest that Holly has forgotten him. She sends him one postcard after she leaves; that is it. He knows she has been to Africa and hopes that she found a home, but he doesn’t know for sure because she doesn’t write.

Overall, Fred, as a narrator, succeeds in influencing the readers against Holly despite being in love with her, himself.

Pandora, Prometheus and Frankenstein

When reading Frankenstein, most readers are able to look past the surface to the numerous underlying themes and motifs. The most commonly identified allusion seems to be the link between Victor and Prometheus. Many people, however, don’t realize that there is more to the myth. While Shelley does make this allusion obvious through the act of creating, she also goes further and incorporates the entire myth into the novel.

On a very basic level is the link between both Prometheus and Victor being over-reachers. In Greek mythology, Prometheus is the creator of mankind. He gives life to a new creature. Similarly, Victor thought himself “capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter” (Shelly 37). Mary Shelley emphasizes this parallel between Victor and Prometheus in the details of creating. In some versions of the myth, Prometheus steals fire and uses it to bring man to life. Victor uses fire for the same purpose. He “infuse[s] a spark of being into the lifeless thing” (Shelley 43).  The spark alludes to fire being used to bring man to life. Thus Shelley clearly establishes that Victor is indeed a modern Prometheus.

Shelley then continues this parallel, embedding the entire myth into her novel. After Zeus realizes what Prometheus has done, he punishes him. The only difference between Prometheus and Victor is that Victor’s sin was “not against self or God, but against moral order and society” (Goldberg 33). Therefore, it is fitting that his punishment stems from society rather than God. His punishment is separation from society and the death of those he loves, further isolating him. As Victor soon realizes, a “solitary cell had been [his] habitation…” (Shelley 176). This is the “horrible curse upon [his] head” (Shelley 141).

Further in keeping with the myth, Victor’s actions unleash a Pandora. In the Greek myth, after Zeus declares Prometheus’ punishment, he decrees that man must also be punished. He has Hephaestus create a beautiful woman, has various goddesses bestow gifts upon her, and then makes her extremely curious. Finally, before sending her down, he gives her a box and tells her never to open it. However, her curiosity gets the best of her. She unleashes despair, death, disease, and various other evils upon the world. Thus, she brings misery upon mankind. Similarly, the creature also brings misery onto society. The creator, Victor, describes the creature as a “wretch whose delight was in carnage and misery” (Shelley 60).  The misery the creature brings is especially evident in the number of deaths caused by the creature. He kills everyone Victor cares about. Plus, even though he didn’t mean to, he terrified villagers and caused the De Lacey family to move. Much like Pandora, he doesn’t always create misery intentionally, but it is there nevertheless. Victor even realizes that he cannot create a companion for the creature because they “would make the very existence of the species of man a condition precarious and full of terror” (144).  The creature and Pandora are both plagues upon society.

Thus we can see that Shelley was able to incorporate the entire myth of Prometheus into her novel. She went beyond just linking Prometheus and Victor together as over-reachers. Victor was punished and the creature was a plague.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Signet, 1965. Print.

Goldberg, M. A. "Moral and Myth in Mrs. Shelley's "Frankenstein"" JSTOR. N.p., 17 Aug. 2013. Web.

Tiffany's

     Everything is about marketing. After all, what sells is what will be produced. Sadly, this is generally true even of Hollywood. Novels are turned into movies and disappointed readers leave the theatre in tears. This is, of course, true even of classics such as Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's.

     Capote's novel turned movie has captivated the imagination of almost every teenage girl at some point or another. The movie created a fashion icon in Audrey Hepburn and is often referred to, even today. It seems to be the perfect romantic comedy and many fans, like me, in time decide to read the novel. 

      The movie is preferred by many because it provides a sense of bliss. Overall, the mood of the movie is much happier than the novel's. This is because, Holly is more wholesome and childlike. She asks for $50 for the powder room, but isn't explicitly depicted as a call girl. From her actions, she is shown as an innocent figure just going along with life. If one had to guess, they'd assume Holly was 22 or 23 at the most. This creates a slightly higher level of tolerance for her actions than if she were a teenager-- which she is in the novel. However, this emphasizes her childish attitude. We expect a 22 year old to act in a more mature fashion than a teenager, yet she is very childlike in not only her innocence but also her actions. She dares Paul to steal something from a store, so later, they run out wearing animal masks. Much like a child, she has no idea what a library is until Paul takes her to one. He teaches her the ropes of life. It is almost as if she really is a child, especially when she beings throwing a fit, and Paul has to calm her down.
     In the novel, on the other hand, she is mature and knows what she is doing. Of course, even in the novel, Holly is a flight risk. She does what she wants, when she wants to. The novel starts off with Holly being gone for years and is told in a flashback. The way Paul describes Holly sets the novel up so we expect her to disappointment us in the end. The novel also lacks the wholesome character from the movie. Holly, in the novel, is a true night creature. She invites various men to the Brownstone at all hours. Furthermore, she is only 17 in the novel. She is a runaway who wants to make it big. The fact that she is so young brings her actions into a new light, causing readers to take into account her young age and juxtapose it with her sense of maturity. Holly, in the novel, knows exactly what she wants. She is even willing to move to Peru to get it. Even Paul is unable to stop her. She believes she deserves better, packs up, and moves away even though her Peruvian fiancé abandons her. She doesn't allow herself to be swept away by Paul, unlike the movie.
     Overall, while the movie depicts an innocent Holly Golightly, the book shows her personality as complexly mature despite her young age.