Other Voices, Other Rooms

A novel Other Voices, Other Rooms is written by Truman Capote in 1948. It is a story of loneliness and disappointments. As Capote wrote, "the central theme of Other Voices, Other Rooms was my search for the existence of this essentially imaginary person".

Birds are seen as an embodiment of freedom and feathers as its illusion or dead freedom.

Joel Harrison Knox, a 13-year old pretty, delicate boy comes to live with his father to the Skully's Landing. He is very imaginative and often tells incredible stories and tales without hesitation. The first time he appears in a blue shirt and white linen trousers, but with time he covers himself with bigger forms as though hiding and escaping from the real world, with different stuff, like souvenirs, sables, feathers, books, photographs from magazines and stones he used to keep in his box (at the back inside layers). 

Florabela Thompkins, a 12-year old feminine, refined and prissy girl has a twin sister, Idabela, her opposite. She has long hair and beautiful face and wants to be an actress or a teacher. So she wears a pink feminine dress, the one that good girls would wear at her age. There are big pockets at sides of the dress filled with flowers and mirrors and a doll as a perfect image of a beautiful woman. 

Amy Skull is Joel's aristocratic stepmother in her late 40s. She has resigned to take care of her paralyzed husband (Joel's father). She wears a grey dress with an upper part made of broken glass and mirrors with images of dead birds and feather on some pieces. This is the embodiment of broken lives and dreams. 

Randolph is in his mid 30s and is Amy's first cousin, "effeminate, narcissistic and openly homosexual". As Amy said, "Mr. Randolph likes dead birds, especially with beautiful feathers". He wears a light white dress with trousers in feather print and loose kimono. There are beautiful real feathers that emerge from behind the wide red belt.