The Swans of Fifth Avenue

“And luncheon was the highlight of the day, the reason for getting up in the morning and going to the hairdresser, buying the latest Givenchy or Balenciaga; the reward for managing the perfect house, the perfect children, the perfect husband. And for maintaining the perfect body.”

Babe’s inner reflection lays out the terms on which she and her friends live their life. Everything can be reduced to a transaction or an exchange; no one gets anything for free.

“But Truman wasn’t a man. He wasn’t a woman. He was an unearthly creature, a genius.”

Truman’s unique identity transcends common human labels. He’s a brilliant mind beyond gender. The beyond-human diction alludes to the preface and epilogue, where Benjamin presents Truman as the otherworldly creature surrounded by swans.

“[H]ow can we be friends if we don’t gossip together?”

Truman poses this question to Babe, turning gossip into a symbol of bonding. Truman, Babe, and the rest of the swans grow their friendships through their conversation, and the conversation is frequently about other people.