A Christmas Memory: Truman Capote :: essays research papers

A Christmas Memory Truman Capote     This story, "A Christmas Memory," is a nonfiction reminence of one fondmemory 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 fruitcake weather. She called him to get their crazy 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 need of materials to make the cakes, and the drop of funding to do so.Sook and Buddy begin reminiscing ab stunned how they managed to gather their meagersums. People in the house donate a dime or two. Buddy and Sook make some moneyby selling jams and jellies, rounding up flo wers for funerals and weddings,rummage sales events, contests, and even a Fun and Freak museum. The secret fund is inexplicable in an old beaded purse under a loose board in the floor. They neverremove the purse from under Sooks bed unless fashioning 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, except 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 far-off 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 or so expensive andhardest to obtain ingredient was needed to complete the days shopping. Sincewhiskey sale was forbidden b y law, they had to travel to Mr. Haha Jones for it.Mr. Haha owned a "sinful" bar near the river. When Sook receives a bottle ofwhiskey in exchange for a fruitcake, she decides to tot up 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 neighbor friends. Theysent most to people they have met once, or maybe not at all. The thank-you notecards sent in return made them feel connected to the world.