Dick as Tragic Hero in Tender is the Night
Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night tells the story of an American psychiatrist Dick Diver and his wealthy, schizophrenic wife Nicole. We follow the deterioration of the seemingly wonderful, happy marriage of the stylish couple presented in the first book, to the finalizing divorce of the newly empowered and relatively stable Nicole and the somewhat broken, yet content Dick. Dick’s fall from grace is not entirely surprising considering the weaknesses of his character and the choices he makes throughout the novel. Portrayed throughout the beginning of the book in a very positive light as a wonderful entertainer and the epitome of social grace, Dick’s character is not as strong, nor as pure as it first appears. However, Dick is not an entirely bad person. It is actually some of the more positive aspects of his personality that, in combination with the negative aspects, lead to his eventual downfall.
Book I of the novel introduces Dick as the jester on the beach and a gracious host. He seems to enjoy a great respect from the people around him. The positive light cast on Dick at the beginning makes it likely that Dick Diver will ultimately become the “hero” of the novel, which is an idea that deserves consideration throughout the novel. But, at the end of Book I, the reader is still not certain of the identity of the main character. “It is entirely plausible at that point in the novel to guess that Tender is the Night is actually the story of the young actress Rosemary”( LaHood, 27). The majority of the first book revolves around Rosemary and our perspectives of the characters are somewhat stinted by her impressions of them. It is upon her rather idealized impression of...
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...the happy, stable and more independent life that she had been missing.
Works Cited and Consulted:
Bruccoli, Matthew J. and Judith S. Baughman. Reader's Companion to F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1996.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. Tender is the Night. New York, NY: Scriber, 1933
Grenberg, Bruce L. "Fitzgerald's 'Figured Curtain': Personality and History in Tender Is the Night." In Critical Essays on F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night, ed. Milton R. Stern. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1986.
LaHood, Marvin J., ed. Tender Is the Night: Essays in Criticism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1969.
Stern, Milton R. Tender Is the Night: The Broken Universe. New York: Twayne, 1994.
Stern, Milton R., ed. Critical Essays on F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night. Boston: Hall, 1986.
The. Fitzgerald, F. S., and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald: A New Collection. The. New York: Scribner, 1989.
Mizener, Arthur, ed. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1963.
Dick Diver's love for his wife, Nicole, in F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night, is based purely on his need to assert control and act as care taker to her due to her illness. He assumes this role in order to feel validation for his own lack of achievement in his professional life. The only true success he can be credited is Nicole's 'cure,' achieved through his devotion and care; thus he continually tries to replicate this previous success in his relationships to other young girls. He looks to be a source of caring and stability just as he had been for Nicole, relying on him for caring and protection from her illness.
...ald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Atheism of a certain sort can be supported by appeal to the existence of widespread nonbelief in God. This is shown by a Canadian philosopher, J. L. Schellenberg, in his book Divine Hiddenness and Human Reason. His argument is as follows:
The reasons behind atheism is very diverse and varies on a person to person basis, but the most common reason is the conflict religion has with science and how it contradicts itself and other such religions. The other biggest trend is the discrimination and negative experiences people have when they are still apart of a religious community weather it is discrimination against women or against homosexuals. The only sure fact is of its existence and its growing population within America, even with its negative connotations. Atheism is going to exist no matter what reason atheists have to be atheist.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski. Vol.
When referring to the demise of Dick in Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night, I think it is impossible that we not consider the demise of Dick and Nicole as a couple. They begin the book as a unit rather like a Chinese dragon with Dick at the head and Nicole following behind, both covered by the decorative cloak of the appearances they maintained. There are several transitions that they go through that upset the balance that allowed them to maintain a functioning marriage. I believe that while there were several factors impacting their relationship, it is the increasing independence and strength of Nicole that ultimately ends the marriage, and severs the tie that allows Dick to maintain his identity.
Bruccoli, Matthew J. and Judith S. Baughman. Reader's Companion to F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "Essay date 1935." Twentieth-Century Litirary Criticism 9. Ed. Dennis Poupond. Detroit: Gale Research, 1983. 316-317
In writing this book, commonly refered to as the “Great American Novel”, F. Scott Fitzgerald achieved in showing future generations what the early twenties were like, and the kinds of people that lived then. He did this in a beautifully written novel with in-depth characters, a captivating plot, and a wonderful sense of the time period.
Atheism: the disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods. In the context of understanding how atheism can have beneficial factors on one’s life, it is vital to create the comparison to religion. While both paths of observance are positive, atheism, compared to religion, is able to produce a more rational and level-headed person, which in turn creates confidence and self-esteem. The “practice” of atheism is a personal connection and in reference to its beneficial factors, it is able to use these points to strengthen the claim, according to research.