Breakfast at Tiffany's - Characters

Holly Golighty is by far one of my favorite characters that I have ever had the chance to read about. Her personality and life choices are so relatable to the average teen, yet so relatable to older ages also. The great book "Breakfast at Tiffany's", by Truman Capote, tells the story of Paul's experiences with Holly during the time they lived in the same apartment building. Paul meets her one night, when she crawls through her window to escape a man downstairs in her apartment. They quickly bond because of Holly's talkative and charming personality. They become great friends, and Paul finds himself falling for her. However, Holly has no romantic interest in Paul, and is trying to marry the richest man she can find. The longer Paul knows her, the more he sees Holly's bad side; mysterious, money obsessed, and a "phony". Paul also sees her good side; confident, talkative, and friendly. I personally think that, New York created her bad side. The impact of money, society, and opportunities changed her immensely.

First, New York changed Holly by creating her money obsession. Back on the farm, where she used to live as Lulamae Barns, she didn't care about money. She used what she had, and had fun taking care of her "children" without a care in the world. When she was discovered by an agent, she still remained rather the same. It was when she came to New York to escape her life for a while everything changed.  She became fascinated by wealth and wanted to marry a rich man, and her falling for Paul, didn't change that. She wanted to be rich. She said during a party once, while talking to Paul, "I don't mean I'd mind being rich and famous. That's very much on my schedule, and someday I'll try to get around to it". During this very party she had become attracted to Rusty Trawler, a millionaire. He seems very fond of her and she says later to Paul that you can make yourself love anyone. Even thought Rusty is ugly and not Holly's type, she clings to him because of his money, and then moves on too a even richer man she finds called, Jose Ybarra-Jaegar. And when Jose breaks up with her, and she has the opportunity with being with Paul, she turns it down and continues on her journey to Brazil, asking Paul to get a list of the fifty richest men in Brazil. All and all, she is completely money obsessed.

Also, New York also made Holly mysterious and a "phony". Holly doesn't want to let anyone know the real her or her past. The glamor of New York has made her embarrassed of her old life at the farm, and what her real personality is. The only thing she will talk about about her life before New York, is Fred, her brother. Holly is so caught up in the New York life, she doesn't want to have anything to do with her old one, so she hides it with a new personality. Some can see through it though, including Paul and her agent. Holly's agent says she a "phony". Early in the book, while at a party, Holly's agent, O. J. Berman, says "You're wrong. She is a phony." O. J. Berman sees through her "phony" act. So does Paul. The most she will let on about her real personality, is to Paul, her best friend. He is the only one who really knows her, yet he soon figures out, he hardly does. Paul finds out things throughout the book that no one knows. Holly's real name is Lulamae Barns, yet she uses the name Holly Golighty. She tells no one this, including Paul. She also tells no one that she was married and lived on a farm when she was younger. Paul finds out when Holly's ex- husband comes looking for her. As you can see Holly is very mysterious and a "phony".

In conclusion, New York has changed Holly considerably from when she lived on the farm. It mostly changed her a negative way, making her money obsessed, a "phony", and mysterious. Thankfully, it changed her in a few positive ways too, making her confident and talkative. Sadly, the negative changes shows through more, and in some ways destroyed her.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was an incredible book which focused on the lifestyle of the rich and wealthy in the 1920s, and how society and the "american dream" trapped a man in a lovesick world he couldn't escape.

The book starts off by introducing Nick Carraway, as he moves into West Egg, next door to the mysterious Mr. Gatsby. One night, Nick drives over to see his cousin, Daisy, who lives in the elite East Egg. He learns that night about Tom's, Daisy's husband, affair from Jordan Baker, who later becomes his love interest throughout the story. A few days later Tom takes Nick to visit his mistress in New York and Nick begins to understand more about the life of people like Tom and Daisy. Meanwhile, Mr. Gatsby is throwing his famously over-the-top parties back in West Egg, which Nick later on gets invited to and has the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gatsby. Nick soon learns that Gatsby and Daisy once had a romantic relationship and that Gatsby is still in love with her. He sets up a meet-up between Gatsby and Daisy, and as they connect Daisy realizes her feelings for Gatsby and their love affair begins. Tom starts to catch on to the love affair and anger overtakes him. He confronts Gatsby and Daisy about it and about how Gatsby's money was made illegally. Daisy ends up staying with Tom. On the way home, a horrible car crash occurs by the car driven by Daisy. Daisy runs over Tom's mistress. Gatsby takes the blame for the crash, and Tom uses that information to tell the mistress' husband. The husband ends up killing Gatsby because he assumes that Gatsby was her love interest. After Gatsby's death, Nick arranges a funeral and heads back home, disgusted with the people in both West Egg and East Egg.

Nick lived in a world in which money was everything and social class and living the "american dream" was what mattered to people. Even though Gatsby did turn into a wealthy person who did in fact live the "american dream", it wasn't just society who did that, it was Daisy. Society had turned her into someone who wanted wealth and somebody to love her each and every second of the day. Gatsby could only do one of those things, so when Tom, someone who loved her relentlessly which tons of money, came along, she happily married him leaving Gatsby behind. The "american dream" of happiness was mixed with wealth and that's what corrupted Daisy, and then Gatsby. In order to win Daisy's heart he became wealthy. He then did capture her heart, therefore for it to be taken away when a scandal came along, that could jeopardize that wealth. Gatsby was just lost in a world of money and social class, dragged in helplessly because of love. And he got so far deep in it, there soon was no way out, which in some ways, got him killed.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the themes of society and wealth were interesting and the characters were fun to read about.