Mademoiselle Magazine: a Christmas Memory Essay

A Christmas Memory, which was written by Truman Capote and origin on the wholey create in Mademoiselle Magazine in December 1956, is a meaningful and emotional story to the highest degree family. In which, the characters of a family ar defined especially Family is non only a shelter barely also a safe place to care, share memories, impart, and cheat. There are many definitions about family. whiz of them is A family consists of two or more than people (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adoption residing in the same housing unit (US Census Bureau. Its main functions are to produce and reproduce persons, biologically and/or socially share material substances (such as food, shelter. )However, two family members ( crony and his cousin-german) in A Christmas Memory are machine-accessible with each another(prenominal) not only by consanguinity but also by love and association. The story employs a first-person narrator who is called buddy a seven-y ear-old boy, but it is not his real name. It was given by his distant cousin who is sixty-something and is described as still a child. Though it is so sad that the more crony grows up, the older his friend is. His friend used to realize I guess I hate to see you grow up. When youre grown up, will we still be friends? But, their innocence writes them be outstrip friends despite age. Besides, both of them are poor and lonely.They are considered after-school(prenominal)rs by their family. Other people inhabit the house, relatives and though they have power over us, and frequently make us cry, we are not, on the whole, too more aware of them. (A Christmas Memory, p. ) Throughout the story, other family members did not appear too much leave off for two occasions One is when the blood brothers friend let Buddy drink the left over(predicate) whiskey, the relatives yelled at her and brought up cousins and uncles who were involved in scandals and humiliated the family. This hurts Buddys friend and makes she cried all night. Another is on the Christmas morning when they gave Buddy gifts which made him angry hand-me-downs, a church shirt, and a subscription to a religious magazine. Both of these appearances only bring sadness, tears and disappointment instead of charm or love.Moreover, they do not know about Buddys needs and desire a bicycle. An interesting tip is Buddy and his friend are very poor but why do they save all penny to make fruitcakes every year? Instead of selling fruitcakes to have some money or keeping them for themselves, Buddy and his cousin give these fruitcakes away to strangers President Roosevelt, a knife grinder who comes through with(predicate) town twice a year, a driver of the six oclock bus from alert who exchanges waves with them every twenty-four hour period, a California couple whose car one afternoon broke down outside the house and chatted with them on the porch.Especially, although Mr. Haha Johnes is described as a giant w ith razor scars across his cheeks and never smiles, when Buddy and his cousin purchase whiskey for their fruitcakes from him, he gives it for free with a smile that means there is frank in all people. People cannot be judged on their appearance. Sadly, these warm gestures are given to Buddy and his cousin by outsiders instead of their family. They are lonely and need love especially at Christmas a gruntle for giving and reunite. It is a wonderful time of greetings, gifts, joy, care and sharing that their relatives never give them.Family is also where members sacrifice for each other. The story is a bittersweet reminiscence beginning with Imagine a morning in later November. A coming of winter morning more than twenty years ago. Consider the kitchen of a spreading old house in a country town. (A Christmas Memory, p. 1) This places the story during the huge Depression- a time of great poverty which then results in many emotional details. The way Buddy and his cousin hide their mo ney is so impressive These money we keep hidden in an antiquated bead purse under a loose board under the floor under a chamber pot under my friends bed. (A Christmas Memory, p. 6)This purse seems very important and worthy with them and the women saves money and keep it carefully. She has never traveled more than five miles from homes and eaten in a restaurant. She still gives Buddy a dime to watch the movie show every Saturday. Even when Buddy is in troops school, in every letter she also encloses a dime wadded in toilet paper. She wants to enhance Buddys skills. Buddy likes her eyes to describe the world outside for her. She is strong with morals and purity- innocent and trusts in the Lord. Moreover, she is charming like a mother or grandmother.Family is where people share happiness and sadness which ferment the most beautiful memories in their lives. Buddy and his friends have many unforgettable Christmas holidays together. They save money by selling fruits and flowers, killi ng flies, holding their own shows with pictures and a three-legged biddy chicken. And when the fruitcake weather comes, they obtain ingredients to make fruitcakes and present it to their neighbors, friends or also strangers. Next, they venture into the woods and cut down a stately tree. When a rich mill owners lazy wife offers to buy it, Buddys friend insists on refusing. They respect the Christmas spirit.It is much more valuable than money. Then, they decorate the tree with homemade ornaments and odds and ends found in the attic. Finally, they create gifts for their relatives. Buddy wishes he could give his friend a knife, a radio, and the chocolate-covered cherries she craves. His cousin wants to give Buddy a late bicycle. However, they embarrass to confess that they only have kites for each other like the previous Christmas. Despite that, Buddy and his friend are joyful with their kites rather than what their relatives gave them. They spend Christmas day happily watching the ir homemade kites soar in the breeze.Buddy soon forgets disappointed gifts from his relatives and is excited as if wed already won the fifty-thousand-dollar Grand Prize in that coffee-naming contest while his friend happy as if she could see the Lord. (A Christmas Memory, p. 20). It is their last perfect Christmas together. Those who Know Best the adults who do not care much about Buddys life as well as his dream- train Buddy to a military school where he is separated from his friend forever. Although Buddy has a new home, in his mind Home is where my friend is, and there I never go. (A Christmas Memory, p. 21) Home is not defined as a shelter.It is where he can find love and safety. Another meaningful in this story is the kite which is a symbol of freedom, heart, friendship, and dream to fly up high to touch the sky. Kites are also memories of their beautiful days together. Memories are something passing by our life that we cannot touch them again leave off for remembering them sometimes. However, they are important parts in our heart eternally. Thus, even when Buddy is far from his house, his childhoods memories about his lovely friend, his dog- Queenie, Christmas holidays, and the kites always alive in his soul that make him strong and keep forward.That is why when his friend dies, Buddy feels as if he lost an irreplaceable part and while go across the campus on December morning- Christmas time, Buddy still searches the sky with hope to see a duplicate of kites- his unforgettable memories about his lovely friend. A Christmas Memory is a vivid picture of family and lovely friendship of Buddy and his cousin that leaves a message for the reader Family likes a house which has the base built by love, four walls connected by care, the roof made by shareand the furniture inner(a) are sacrifice.