Analysis Of Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory

Throughout the story "A Christmas Memory", Truman Capote uses a method of "show but don't tell", to set the mood of nostalgia. The individual scenes of this story add to the mood as well. He uses elaborate descriptions and details that apply to the five senses to help identify the setting. The settings in which add to the mood are the kitchen, Haha's Cafe, and the woods. The setting of the kitchen contributes towards the mood of "A Christmas Memory" by creating a feeling of warmth and familiarity. In this setting, Buddy and his friend are working together to make fruitcakes. In the story it says, "Consider the kitchen of a spreading old house in a country town. A great black stove is its main feature; but there is also a big round table and …show more content…
This is where Buddy and his friend go to illegally buy whiskey for their fruitcakes. In this setting there is a new mood, unlike the other, it is suspenseful and there is much tension. In the story it says, " As we approach his cafe (a large log cabin festooned inside and out with chains of garish-gay naked light bulbs and standing by the river's muddy edge under the shade of river trees where moss drifts through the branches like gray mist) our steps slow down." This quote makes the cafe seem spooky. The "...chains of garish-gay naked light bulbs and standing by the rivers muddy edge..."creates a suspenseful mood. As they see this they even begin to slow up, as they might suspect something to occur if they go any farther. Also, the "...shade of river trees..." depicts a not so innocent area. For example, when someone is doing something shady, they normally aren't up to any good. So, since this cafe is in the shade, something bad might be going on here, which can cause tension and suspicion within the story. Another quote that contributes to the tense and suspicious mood is, "In the daytime Haha's is shabby and deserted." This is very suspicious because an average store wouldn't be deserted, let alone during the day time. Therefore, Haha's Cafe creates a tense and suspicious mood within the …show more content…
In this story, Truman Capote repeatedly proves that the setting can affect the mood. He achieves this by using the method of "show but don't tell" and sensory details. In each of the settings throughout the story, such as the kitchen, Haha's cafe, and the woods, Capote used details that appealed to our senses. This gave the reader a clearer interpretation of the setting. These sensory details also helped guide readers to understand the mood. Although he never specifically told the mood, you knew what is was because he showed it in great detail. In my most honest opinion, I believe Truman Capote is an outstanding writer and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this