33 pages • 1 hour read
Truman CapoteA Christmas Memory
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1956A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
In a 1957 interview with the Paris Review, Capote stated, “I believe a story can be wrecked by a faulty rhythm in a sentence (especially if it occurs toward the end) or a mistake in paragraphing, even punctuation” (38). Choose one instance of rhythm, paragraphing, or punctuation in “A Christmas Memory” and analyze its rhetorical significance.
Many readers and critics have described “A Christmas Memory” as a nostalgic portrayal of the rural South. Do you agree or disagree with this assessment? In what ways is “A Christmas Memory” a nostalgic story? In what ways does it challenge nostalgic depictions of Southern life?
Is “A Christmas Memory” a coming-of-age story? Offer specific evidence from the text to argue for whether Buddy “comes of age” by the end of the story.
Throughout the story, Buddy is preoccupied with his lack of funds. Using specific evidence from the text, write an essay tracing Buddy’s attitude toward money from the beginning of the story to its end. Note any significant changes in his perspective in the course of the narrative.
“A Christmas Memory” contains several extended descriptions of the natural world. Locate one of these descriptive passages and analyze its significance. What role does natural imagery play in developing the story’s key themes?
What is the thematic significance of the “Fun and Freak Museum” that Buddy and his friend set up to raise money for their “Fruitcake Fund” (8)? How does this venture connect to the story’s themes or motifs?
In “A Christmas Memory,” the reader never learns the birth names of the story’s two most important characters. Analyze the significance of names and naming (or the lack of naming) in “A Christmas Memory.” Why do you think Capote withholds the central characters’ names? You might also consider the significance of the names “Haha Jones” and “Queenie” or the unnamed status of Buddy’s relatives.
Buddy’s point of view is crucial to the portrayal of each character in “A Christmas Memory.” Rewrite the scene of Buddy and his friend dancing in the kitchen from the point of view of another character (for example, Buddy’s friend, his relatives, or even Queenie). Search the text for clues as to how Buddy might appear to other characters.
Like Buddy, Capote was an avid moviegoer, and he wrote several film scripts (including the script for a 1967 television adaptation of “A Christmas Memory”). Capote observed, “I think most of the younger writers have learned and borrowed from the visual, structured side of movie technique. I have” (Hill, Pati. “Truman Capote: The Art of Fiction No. 17.” Paris Review, 1957, p. 45). What cinematic techniques are in “A Christmas Memory”? Alternatively, choose one of the story’s scenes and describe how you would adapt it for a film or television version of “A Christmas Memory.”
Related Titles
By Truman Capote
