“A Tree of Night” is a mysterious and dark short story written by Truman Capote. Set on a train ride in winter, the story follows a young college sophomore student, Kat, who is returning home after her uncle’s funeral. The theme is dark and mysterious with characters who disturb the main character. The eerie atmosphere is portrayed through descriptive imagery such as “The coach was a relic with a decaying interior of ancient red-plush seats, bald in spots, and peeling iodine-colored woodwork. An old-time copper lamp, attached to the ceiling, looked romantic and out of place. Gloomy dead smoke sailed the air, and the car’s heated closeness accentuated the stale odor of discarded¬¬ sandwiches, apple cores, and orange hulls.” Throughout the short story the reader experiences Kat’s journey through “death”, “sexual” experiences, and a gradual disintegration of her character.
The short story starts with Kat boarding a train after her uncle’s funeral. Already the reader experiences a sense of how death may play a part in this story. Kat has brought a green guitar along with a purse with brass letters spelling Kay. Green is a frequent color used in Truman Capote’s stories often symbolizing death. The purse with her name on it also represents Kay’s
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The odd couple both carry a symbol of death as both of them do Lazarus performances and the man is described by Kay to remind her of her uncle at the funeral. The conversation between the woman and Kay clarifies that during the performance the man is buried in a coffin for about an hour. This might explain why the man is deaf, dumb, and has an odd aura. Kay “felt for him a keen sense of pity; but also, and this she could not suppress, an overpowering disgust, an absolute loathing: something about him, an elusive quality she could not quite put a finger on, reminded her of-of what?” This line mentions the man reminding her of something once