Holiday “Holly” Golightly

The main character of the novella, Holly is a New York City café society girl who lives in the same brownstone apartment building as the narrator. Her income comes primarily in the form of cash gifts from the wealthy men she socializes with and sleeps with. Holly is an enigmatic personality with strong views about freedom, belonging, and authenticity.

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Narrator

The unnamed narrator is an aspiring writer who lives in the same brownstone apartment building as Holly Golightly and develops a platonic but sometimes turbulent friendship with her. The reader learns few personal details about his life, but views the entire story from his perspective.

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Joe Bell

The proprietor of a bar close to where Holly and the narrator live. He is friends with Holly despite being described as a “hard man to talk to.”

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Fred

Holly’s brother who is overseas fighting in World War II. He is described as kind and “simple.”

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Salvatore “Sally” Tomato

A Sing Sing prison inmate who pays Holly to visit him once a week and deliver information to Oliver O’Shaughnessy. He is imprisoned for political bribery, but is later found out to be the leader of an international drug-smuggling racket.

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Doc Golightly

A large-animal veterinarian from Texas who took in Holly and Fred when they were young. He is Holly’s husband, having married her when she was fourteen.

Rutherford “Rusty” Trawler

One of Holly Golightly’s wealthy gentleman callers. He later becomes married (and divorced) to Mag Wildwood.

Mag Wildwood

A model and socialite who is friends with and lives with Holly Golightly. She later marries (and divorces) Rusty Trawler.

José Ybarra-Jaegar

A Brazilian diplomat who dates Mag Wildwood and is friends with Holly Golightly and Rusty Trawler for a time. He later becomes engaged to Holly but then breaks off that engagement.

O.J. Berman

A talent agent from Hollywood who previously tried to make Holly Golightly into a movie star.

Oliver O’Shaughnessy

A defrocked priest who Holly is told is Sally Tomato’s lawyer. She delivers “weather reports” to him and receives money from him after her visits to see Sally in prison.

Mr. I. Y. Yunioshi

Another tenant of the same brownstone that Holly Golightly and the narrator live in. He is a photographer from Japan.

Madame Sapphia Spanella

Another tenant of the same brownstone that Holly Golightly and the narrator live in. She has an antagonistic relationship with Holly.