Breakfast at Tiffany's

What's in a Name? The Characters in Breakfast at Tiffany's

Breakfast at Tiffany's is a novella, a short work of fiction that has little more than one hundred pages. One of the devices used by author Truman Capote is the choice of unique and interesting character names. The device allows him to create a sense of time and place as well as portray his characters more vividly. Capote's considerable skill as a writer brings World War II-era New York alive, despite the economy of words required by the novella format.

The story's protagonist first learns about his neighbor by reading the name on her mailbox: Miss Holiday Golightly. The reader knows at once she is a special, almost magical, person who takes nothing seriously in life. "Miss" makes us think of a young, single woman. "Holiday" calls to mind parties, celebrations and time away from work. That...
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