Independence, Relationships and Transience: A Comparative Study of Truman Capote’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and Vladimir Nabakov’s “Spring in Fialta”

Abstract

Story telling is a concoction of plot, character and themes, among other things. Short stories and novellas employ a limited numbers of pages to convey their message. Truman Capota’s 1958 novella “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and Vladimir Nabakov’s 1936 short story “Spring in Fialta” both portray the brevity of life tangled a web of impermanent desires and relationships. The female characters in both works try to make meaning out of the briefest encounters while determined to remain unchained to others amidst the perplexity of modern life. This study highlights the delicate similarities between Nina and Holly’s desires of independence; moreover the idea of transience which is prevalent in both stories is evaluated. This comparative story of two iconic stories results in an innovative understanding of Capota and Nabakov’s character as well as the concept of transience in their stories.

DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2016.v5n3s1p342