A Christmas Memory: Truman Capote :: essays research papers

A Christmas Memory Truman Capote     This story, "A Christmas Memory," is a nonfiction reminence of one lovingmemory of Capotes.     A distant relative of Truman Capotes, Sook Faulk, took care of himthrough his childhood. Sook dubbed Truman with the nickname "Buddy," after aformer best friend. During one November morning, when Buddy was seven, Sookdecided it was nut weather. She called him to get their buggy and her hatto go pick pecans. Queenie, their terrier who has survived illness and snakebites, follows them on their errand. After picking pecans for three hours,Buddy and Sook began hulling their buggyload. The discussion during dinnertimewas the hire of materials to make the cakes, and the lack of funding to do so.Sook and Buddy begin reminiscing about how they managed to gather their meagersums. People in the house donate a dime bag or two. Buddy and Sook make some moneyby selling jams and jellies, rounding up flowers for funerals and weddings,rummage sales, contests, and even a Fun and Freak museum. The inexplicable fund ishidden in an old beaded purse to a lower place a loose board in the floor. They neverremove the purse from under Sooks bed unless making a deposit or a ten-centwithdrawal on Saturdays. She allots Buddy ten cents to go to the picture showeach Saturday. Sook has never visited one before, but asks Buddy to go insteadto come back and tell she the stories of the picture show. After dinner, Sookand Buddy retire to a room in a faraway part of the house where her sleeps atnight, to count their treasure. When finished counting, Buddy declares thetotal was thirteen dollars. Sook, being a very superstitious person, throws apenny out of the window. The next morning Sook and Buddy go to town to purchasethe necessary ingredients for the cakes. Whiskey, the most expensive andhardest to obtain ingredient was needed to acquit the days shopping. Sincewhiskey sale was forbidden by law, they h ad to travel to Mr. Haha Jones for it.Mr. Haha owned a "sinful" bar near the river. When Sook receives a bottle ofwhiskey in stand in for a fruitcake, she decides to add an extra cup of raisinsin his cake. The two go home and begin to make their cakes. These cakes whereintended for friends or acquaintances, not necessarily inhabit friends. Theysent most to people they have met once, or maybe not at all. The thank-you notecards sent in return made them disembodied spirit connected to the world.