This story was a perfect period piece for its time, but as much as people play up the glamour of the tale and its connection with Audrey Hepburn, I really found it quite sad. The disillusionment and downplayed sadness of Holly Golightly’s life reminded me of an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, where the glitter comes off on the protagonist’s hands as he is left in wonderment and melancholy at the departure of the heroine from his life. What did Holly Golightly want, really? Money to take care of her brother, but she can never save enough of? The priorities of the characters are all topsy turvy and backwards — the protagonist is a writer who barely writes. The overarching motif of ambition without an end speaks very clearly to the rat-race-like scene in much of NYC today. It generates a lot of excitement, as in this sparkling novella, but leaves its chasers a little empty.

This novel is about a strange character, Holly Golightly. The narrator takes a specific interest in her life, her music and her adventures. By focusing on this unique woman, the reader learns about New York around the 1940s. Holly appears to be this outgoing person who is caught up in life. She doesn’t believe that anything unfortunate can happen to her, not even the fact that she was pregnant as such a young age. We later learn that this type of attitude and her racist views trace back to when she was a poor child who ran away, after her parents passed away. She dreams of luxury and refers to Tiffany’s many times. This reflected the immigrant dream since people migrated to New York in search of a better lifestyle. In a way, I was reminded of The Great Gatsby when reading the part when she hosts a gathering. Holly created an upper class mirage, yet one can tell that she really wasn’t part of the wealthy. Another aspect that struck me was her age. She was constantly attracted to older men which to me showed that psychologically she was in need of guidance or a fatherly figure. Nonetheless, it was still weird that she was married so young to Doc. The past constantly mentally haunted her. In conclusion, she escaped and changed her name in order to live a better life, one filled with luxury. The fact that she was able to act older and naive assisted her in forming this mirage of a perfect life.

I found it interesting that Holly Golightly seemed to embody that which was important in New York in the 1940’s. She oozed with charm and elegance, focusing on being viewed as sophisticated. In the upper classes during this time period, appearances were everything. Furthermore, her affinity for running from her problems also was telling of the time period; during this era in New York, this obsession with appearances seeped into the idea of pretending no problems were there instead of facing them as one should. She cares completely for herself and cares not when other people are indisposed; this self-importance has always been prevalent in the higher classes of society, but the 1940’s were a peak of it. The post-industrial era was in favor of living a luxurious lifestyle, if it was possible, and leaving behind that which was not up-to-date or luxurious (such as Holly’s old life being married to Doc in the south). Money, to her and to society at this time, was everything.

Having seen the movie before reading the book, I was really excited to read “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” It tells the classic story of an enigmatic woman filled with secrets and strangeness. Right off the bat, it is clear that this book takes place in New York, because of the diversity of characters as well as the acceptance of a rather alternative, liberal lifestyle that the characters lead. Holly is a “free” woman — she sees many men, all of whom are older than she is, and she does not see any problem with this, though it takes place during a time when this kind of behavior was not so common and accepted. The narrator is a writer, immediately reflecting the kind of creative, independent soul that was common in New York City. Then there are the neighbors, namely Mr. Yunioshi. Also in the beginning of the novel we learn that there is a strong possibility that Holly is traveling around Africa. What I found a bit surprising about this book however, was that despite the diversity and seemingly liberal lifestyle lived by characters like Holly and Fred, there were still very apparent hints of racism held by the characters. Holly has no problem using the n-word, as well as other derogatory slurs to describe African Americans, which is ironic because of her mysterious Africa journey at the beginning of the novel. My guess is that this would actually be a very realistic depiction of how people were during this time, because even though New York was already a booming center of cultural diversity, African Americans were still one of, if not the most, discriminated against groups of people. Even though this was a realistic depiction, however, it made it difficult for me to really connect with Holly as much as I tried. I found her an interesting and strange character, but personally I could not relate on a deeper level because of her deeply inset racism.

Reading Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote, reminds of that common girl that always appears in these New York based stories. That complicated mysterious girl that the narrator of the story is always curious about. She’s always preoccupied with her own secrets and either longs for a man by sleeping next to him on his bed for affection one day or wants to be alone and goes M.I.A  for weeks the next. I saw a similarity between the main character Holly Golightly and Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby. It seems like New York, always attracts people that don’t know what they want, are often emotionally detached and very selfish to their own needs, at least that’s what I got from this story. Alcohol also seemed to play a huge role in this story and quite frankly I can’t imagine a good New York story without it. Imagine, a sober New York? I liked Capote’s story and his version of that “psycho” mysterious New York girl who finds solace in a Tiffany’s jewelery store.

Although World War II doesn’t figure strongly in the characters’ lives, Breakfast at Tiffany’s tells the soap opera-esque story of Holiday Golightly. To add to this sense, our narrator is never given a name (other than the nickname “Fred” by Holly), which allows us to feel like anonymous viewers of the drama that is Holly’s life.

I was especially struck by the ending of the novel because I was left questioning Holly’s happiness: although her postcard seems as though she is living a positively divine and exotic life, like she did in New York City, it seems as though her existence remains as shallow as ever. Her affair with a married man, though presumably wealthy, seems as though it may end like her other relationships do. In fact, dating a married man guards her against confronting her fear of commitment and allows her to avoid connecting with other people in meaningful ways.

It is possible that Holly will be contentedly happy living out her life with exciting affairs and adventures, but it is equally possible that she will fail to find any deeper meaning and she will eventually fade out of the spotlight. As much as Holly loves the curiosity and disapproval she incites in others, it doesn’t seem to me that she can continue this way forever.

I think that the open ended ending is reflective of Holly’s character in some ways, for it is hard to be sure of what is genuine and what we can expect from her. Holly both begins and ends the novel with no one knowing exactly where she is or where she’s been.

By the end of the book as FDR and LaGuardia end their time in office you can see that it is an end of an era like no other in history. It was amazing to see how politicians can set politics aside for the good of the people. While it’s easy to romanticize all the progress that was made during this era I think it’s important to keep in mind that both men were very power hungry. The fact that they were able to cast aside party politics was only possible because of the time period and they wouldn’t have done it if it sunk their political careers. Both tried to stay in office longer then normal using the political capitol they’d built during the New Deal and while FDR was able to stay in power till the end, New York City and LaGuardia didn’t benefit from the war which eventually ended his career.

I found “City of Ambition” to be a rather eye-opening book. Apart from learning a lot about FDR and La Guardia’s companionship and positions in office, this book made me think about politics today and how it is different and similar to politics in the 30s. In the 30s, it seemed like politicians like FDR and La Guardia were much more concerned with economy support and social programs than politicians are today, which is alarming. So much attention is payed to smaller social issues such as abortion, gay marriage, gun rights, and birth control. While these issues must be dealt with and are important, I feel as though there are larger issues that the US needs to take care of first; such as increasing job growth, making health care affordable, and stimulating the economy in different ways. It’s so great to read about someone as strong as FDR leading our country, which is the role I think the president needs to take. Obama, though he is trying, does not seem to have the same vigor and persistence that someone like FDR did. This could largely be due to the bipartisan struggle he faces whenever he tries to get anything done, but it’s a bit disappointing to see the minuscule, if any, growth in our economy since 2008’s market crisis.

I think New York City would also benefit from having another mayor like La Guardia. Hopefully Bill de Blasio will take a note or two from La Guardia and focus on affordable housing and safe infrastructure, because these are some of the most pressing issues facing out city today.