Bernice Bobs Her Hair

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Bernice Bobs Her Hair

Have you ever at one time or another felt like an outsider? Many people do, trying desperately to fit in with their social counterparts. Whether it be in school, at work, or life in general, many yearn to be accepted by their peers and feel as though they are a part of some sort of "club" that is viewed by others as the "in" crowd. F. Scott Fitzgerald tries to express this turmoil with the short story Bernice Bobs Her Hair. He attempts to show the inner workings of the popular youth and the means in which one can successfully enter it. By creating the distinct characters of Marjorie, Bernice and Warren, one can see the realistic lives of youth in America and what they do when it comes to achieving and successfully maintaining ones popularity.

In the world of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Marjorie is portrayed as a self assured, popular young woman. This was shown very early in the story, during which a party was taking place. After noticing that Bernice, her dopey cousin, was consuming much of Oswald’s time, she proceeded to Warren to ask if he could take over being Bernice's company and dance with her. Warren submissively said yes, even though he desperately wished to spend time with Marjorie. As he did so, Marjorie was whisked away by a boy to dance, the second or third of the evening. Her status gave her the convenience of asking favors, with the confidence of knowing that they would be carried out without resistance. This confidence also emerged after she told Bernice what a drag people like her are to be with. When Bernice went up stairs later on that day and announced to Marjorie how right she was, Marjorie's immediate response was “I know”(1). This “know it all” attitude arose again when she declared that the reason Madonna did not smile in her world renowned portrait was because her teeth were crooked, even though it is widely assumed and most probable that it was due to that period in time; at that time is was very uncommon to smile for a portrait since it did not look dignified or proper. She also felt confident after noticing that her achievement in bringing Bernice into the popular realm started to surpass her own popularity. As she saw that Bernice was wooing Warren away from her at a picnic gathering, her reaction in the park was “I can get him back” (1).

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