Yoko Ono once described the 1960s as an era of liberation from society's conventional constraints. To fully understand the rejection of 1960s society, one must also evaluate 1950s society. Truman Capote not only captures the essence of 1960s societal rejection in his novels Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood; highlights the positive and negative aspects of the culture of the 50s and 60s. In doing so, he provides today's readers with valuable insight into an era of change that encompassed politics, popular culture, and supposedly "high" art such as Capote's novels. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In an era reminiscent of the economic boom of the 1920s following World War I, America enjoyed an unexpected period of prosperity after World War II in the 1950s. Gross National Product increased by $100 million in just 10 years; as a result, people under 40 on average tended to spend more and save less. Suppressed consumer demand has effectively stimulated capital into large businesses, and high wages coupled with low unemployment rates have enabled the growth of a large middle class. This thriving capitalist economy lent itself well to the average family, as William Levitt's suburban neighborhoods grew and families moved into homes with low mortgages and job opportunities just a train ride away. Veterans benefited from the GI Bill, which built 11 of the 13 million homes built in the 1950s and employed thousands of veterans. The suburban family became the standard, as one in five families moved to a suburban neighborhood. and many pursued a materialistic purchasing fervor. American author Vance Packard wrote in his bestseller, The Hidden Persuaders, “Cosmetics manufacturers don't sell lanolin, they sell houses...we don't buy oranges anymore, we buy vitality. We don't buy a car anymore, we buy prestige. “Americans believed that by purchasing goods, they could become more attractive, well-rounded, intelligent, and so on. Manufacturers simply marketed goods to a domestic market. Americans couldn't get enough of American produced automobiles, televisions, food, beauty products, and other goods that they believed would benefit them. Along with growing materialism, this type of advertising also created an era of conservative ideals. The number of households with televisions grew from 20% to 90% during the 1990s. 50, and television programs like the Dick Van Dyke Show represented idealized versions of society that created a uniform culture across America urged to stop working and become an ideal housewife; women's rights advocate described the suburbs as “burying women live” in her book The Feminine Mystique Dissatisfaction with the role of women in families and suburban conformity in general led to the rebellious nature of individuals in the 1960s. Truman Capote's Holiday Golightly embodies the 1950s consumer, who chased fulfillment through unconventional means. Although Holly does not strive to acquire material wealth, she reflects the materialism of the 1950s in that she attempted to fill fleeting relationships and voids in her life with idealistic dreams. “The average personality reshapes itself frequently, every few years even our bodies undergo a complete overhaul… here are two people who would never do that. This is what Mildred Grossman had in common with Holly Golightly. They would never change because they had received theirscharacter too soon... the first had transformed into an exaggerated realist, the other into an unbalanced romantic. I imagined them in a restaurant of the future, Mildred still intent on studying the menu for its nutritional values, Holy still greedy for everything in it" (Breakfast at Tiffany's, 46). Holly replaces her deceased parents by marrying the man who cared for her, Doc Golightly: "You never saw anything more pitiful," Doc describes. "Ribs sticking out everywhere... The story was: their mother died of tuberculosis, and their dad did the same… She didn't have to lift a finger, except to eat a slice of cake” (Tiffany's, 55), she ran away and found Doc, who gave her gave the care she lacked. Old enough to be her father, Doc acts as a parental figure by cooking and taking care of her. Holly also asks the narrator if he minded that she called him Fred, her brother's name service in the army (Tiffany, 15). Instead of forming new relationships with Doc or the narrator, he simply fills old roles in his life. Holly advises: “Never love a wild thing… If you allow yourself to love a thing wild. You will end up looking at the sky (Tiffany, 59). It is evident that she is afraid of losing loved ones, so she boxes people in her life into one role. When asked if she really loved Rusty, she replied “you can make anyone love you” (Tiffany, 33). His unsatisfied appetite for fulfillment through alternative methods reflects the 1950s tendency to achieve happiness through unconventional means. Furthermore, In Cold Blood embodies the advantages of a seemingly ideal conservative family. Although Alvin Dewey's wife, Marie, works in a menial job as a secretary, she makes sure every day to have coffee and dinner ready when her tired husband returns from work. When the reader hears Marie speak, it is to ask how Alvin is doing, or to tell him how scared she feels after the murders. She maintains freedom through work, but Alvin Dewey returns home knowing that his wife's first priority is taking care of the family, as dinner is always ready. The Dewey family, much like the wholesome Clutter family, maintained a strong morally pure standard through religion; “Belief in God and the rituals that surrounded it – church every Sunday, grace before meals, prayers before bed – were an important part of the Deweys' existence. “I don't see how anyone can sit at the table without wanting to bless,” Mrs. Dewey once said” (In Cold Blood, 105). However, unlike the Deweys, Bonnie Clutter is ill and fails in her duty as a housewife, leaving her feeling useless and depressed. “Yet to this day she regrets not completing the course and receiving her diploma – 'just to prove' – as she told a friend, 'that I had succeeded at something once.' Instead, she had met and married Herb'” (In Cold Blood, 29). Bonnie is unable to feel proud of herself because she is unable to achieve results on her own. Instead, she fulfills her feminine destiny and becomes a wife. However, Bonnie is unable to cook or care for Herb, a “defect” that makes her feel worthless. Bonnie hides in the shadow of her husband, a “'carpenter,' a 'born leader' (In Cold Blood, 27). "On the advice of a doctor, who thought the experience would help her regain 'a sense of adequacy and usefulness,' [Bonnie] had taken a job as a file clerk at the YWCA. Her very understanding husband had encouraged the adventure, but she enjoyed it too much, so much so that it seemed unchristian, and the guilt she developed as a result eventually outweighed the therapeutic value of the experiment” (In Cold Blood, 28).self-actualization has the opposite effects on Bonnie, as she is unable to feel fulfilled because she has no role. She is neither a self-sufficient woman nor a successful housewife. Bonnie avoids trying to be the housewife she can't be afraid of "she made a mistake... What if Herb is unhappy?" (In Cold Blood, 28). She lacks confidence and is often depressed because she knows she will never be happy, but more importantly, she cannot be the perfect housewife to make her husband happy. Although Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood reflect the qualities of the 1950s, they more emphatically reject the conformist society, a characteristic popular in the 1960s. Breakfast at Tiffany's, released in 1958, and InCold Blood, released in 1965, captured the zeitgeist of the '60s more than the '50s. While on the surface both the main characters and the books as a whole were about the materialism of the 1950s, the true essence of the books is the rejection of society à la America of the 1960s. Postwar births flourished, creating a generation of people, appropriately called “baby boomers.” This group of 76 million individuals were teenagers in the 1960s, and after growing up in such a prosperous era, they have become a generally idealistic group. As trust in the establishment – ​​government, money, adults and authority – declined, young people focused on rejecting, rather than simply abandoning, society's status quo. This rebellion against moral tradition was called counterculture, and spontaneity, along with a lack of inhibitions, became important virtues for countering the culture. Popular mottos such as "If it feels good, do it" and song lyrics such as "Do It 'Til You're Satisfied (Whatever it Is)" sung by BT Express affirmed the idea that individuals should act on desires first instinctive and thinking through the consequences secondly. Freedom exploded in the 1960s, when individuals were encouraged to shed their psychological restrictions. With this freedom came the deterioration of society's respect for both social norms and laws. The drugs so popular among counterculture baby boomers, such as LSD and marijuana, were psychedelic substances that allowed one to escape the constraints of the world. Counterculture baby boomers believed that by using drugs they were altering society by blurring the moral lines between right and wrong. Adults targeted drugs as a gateway to the social and moral deterioration of the United States, but drugs were only a means of expressing the counterculture, the true source of this “deterioration.” LSD was just one of many illegal ways to counter culture in the 1960s. These individuals who harbored distrust in the government harbored no guilt for breaking the law, and the crime rate increased by over 450,000 cases. Although hippie culture was founded on the virtues of peace and love, the counterculture encouraged disregard for rules. Pop culture has glamorized violence, which has led to indulgence in crime. The Who famously destroyed their instruments on stage at the end of each concert, which would seem innocent, if it weren't for drummer Keith Moon, who also destroyed hotel rooms, and guitarist Pete Townshend, who beat his wife, his girlfriend, and daughter, and threatened to do the same to the Faces keyboard player because he was dating his ex-wife. This single example doesn't explain why crime has increased so dramatically, but it certainly sheds light on how violent behavior in pop culture can quickly turn into violent crime. Pete Townshend eventually hit his bodyguard with his car, killing him, before overdosing. Becauseof the financially secure status of large numbers of Americans, televisions, radios, and concert tickets could be easily obtained, and this toxic behavior was noticed by many. The Grateful Dead, a rock band known for its use of hallucinogens on stage, gained fame for their support of counterculture drug use and rejection of materialism through song lyrics. However, this drug use led to their demise, as 4 band members died, 3 of them due to substance abuse; singer Jerry Garcia overdosed and went into a coma in 1986 after leaving rehab just a year earlier, only to die in 1995 after multiple overdoses. Although the counterculture of the 1960s was a response to the evils of the 1950s, both had their obvious drawbacks. Capote explores these pros and cons of counterculture ideas in his novels. Holly Golightly became a heroine for 1960s readers; although she is conventionally considered immoral, she displays positive qualities. To readers, Holly is the epitome of the liberal mindset towards women in the 1960s, regarding both sexuality and their role in society. Truman Capote revealed to Playboy Magazine that Holly was a symbol of the modern American woman; she was idolized, despite her flaws, because she was multidimensional. A seemingly superficial party girl, Holly has men literally breaking down her door. Her main means of income are not just moral: she survives on “trips to the powder room” or through prostitution (“'Next time a girl wants some change in the powder room... take my advice , honey: don't "give her twenty cents" (Tiffany's, 12)), and visits her admirer Sally Tomato in prison. Holly plans to marry Rusty for his money and kidnaps Mag's girlfriend, José. However, these flaws only reinstate the idea that a modern woman is just as entitled to this immoral behavior as a man She tells the narrator, “I don't want to say I'd mind being rich and famous If that happens, I'd like my ego to follow me. I still want to be myself when I wake up” (Tiffany, 31). This self-sufficient liberation that Holly enjoys reflects the counterculture ideal of reflection from life as a housewife, but it also encourages the reader to think himself as a counterculture individual. Captivating statements like this and touching stories of how Holly loses her brother in the war give dimension to Holly's character, which allows the reader to avoid judging Holly for her flaws. Likewise, readers especially sympathize with the killer Perry, through the detailed description of his background and psyche, which brings a personal connection to one of the men who committed heinous murders. Growing up, Perry was exposed to hunger, racism, violence between his parents, and adultery. Growing up, he often got into trouble, blaming that he had "no rules or discipline, or no one to show me right from wrong" (In Cold Blood, 274). Perry considers himself an intellectual: “Do you think I like it? Oh, the man I could have been! But that bastard never gave me a chance. [My father] wouldn't let me go to school. OKOK, I was a bad boy. But the time came when I begged to go to school. I happen to have a brilliant mind. In case you didn't know. A brilliant mind and an extra talent. But no education, because he didn't want me to learn anything, only how to carry my bag. To muffle. Ignorant. He wanted me to be like this... Each of you has received an education. Everyone except me. And I hate you, all of you, Dad and everyone else” (In Cold Blood, 185). nourishesresentment towards his upbringing, and the reader sees how his violent attacks and violent tendencies are the product of neglect. However, Perry brutally killed four people and contemplated killing more; after learning that the truck driver he plans to kill has five children, he simply thinks to himself "what a shame." Perry's sister doesn't fall for the facade, stating, "He can seem so loving and understanding. Kind. He cries so easily. Sometimes music makes him angry, and when he was a baby he cried because he thought the sunset was so beautiful. Oh, he can deceive you. He can make you feel so sorry for him. 182)” Yes, he has extremely violent tendencies, but Perry is psychologically damaged in some respects, and the reader feels sympathy for the misunderstood murder he became close friends with Perry in particular. After Dick and Perry's deaths, he stated: “If [Dick] had been given $10,000, maybe he would have gone into some small business, but I don't think he had a very natural criminal instinct towards it. everything that was geared towards theft from the beginning. On the other hand, I think Perry could have been a completely different person. His life had been so incredibly abysmal that I don't see what other option he had as a child that of stealing and going wild. Of course, it could be said that his brother, with exactly the same background, went ahead and became the head of his class. What does it matter that he then killed himself? No, it is, it's the fact that the brother committed suicide, despite his success, that shows how wrong the context in which the Smiths lived really was. Terrifying. Perry had extraordinary qualities, but they just weren't channeled correctly, to put it mildly. He was a really talented guy in a way - he had a genuine sensibility - and, as I said, when he talked about himself as an artist, he wasn't joking at all” (Plimpton). The liberated mentality of the readers allowed the success of Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood; despite the moral flaws of main characters Holly and Perry, readers find themselves looking past the taboo actions of a prostitute and murderers. Capote revealed again to George Plimpton of the New York Times “I was shocked by the letters I received…The letters are not fan letters. They come from people who are deeply concerned about what I wrote about… It struck them because there is something so terribly inevitable about what will happen: the people in the book are completely out of their control. For example, Perry was not an evil person. If he had any chance in life, things would have been different. But all the illusions he ever had, well, they all evaporated, so that night he was so full of self-hatred and self-pity that I think he would have killed someone. Despite the conventional negative traits and actions they exhibit, Capote's characters are regarded sympathetically by readers. William Goyen praises in a New York Times book review Breakfast at Tiffany's "Capote's remarkable talent for capturing the unusual nature of people" (Goyen), revealing how his characters' realistic ups and downs create a bond with readers. Truman Capote's work in Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood are completely different styles of writing; one a novel, the other a journalistic "non-fiction novel", according to Capote. However, the two share a mutually critical and complementary analysis of both 1950s conservatism and 1960s counterculture. Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood capture the essence of the 1960s in the sense that they both create a paradox of 1950s and 1960s culture, a trait that in itselfcaptures the liberated nature of the 60s. Bibliography "Anti-war movement". American history. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. March 12, 2016. Ashenmiller, Josh. "International Investments". American history. Np: np, nd No. page ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. Network. January 26, 2016. .Barnhill, Josh."Veterans' Rights." American history. Np: np, nd No. page ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. Network. 26 January 2016. .Bellafante, Gina. “Big City Book Club: 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'.” City Hall. New York Times, November 29, 2011. Web. 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