Comparison Of F. Scott Fitzgerald And Bernice Bobs Her Hair

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F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered to be one of the most talented and significant American authors of the twentieth-century due to the fluid, descriptive style of his short stories and novels reflecting life in the 1920s and 1930s. His style encapsulated the themes of the time period through descriptive and detailed analogies. His short story, Bernice Bobs Her Hair, was written in the “Jazz Age” of the 1920s. In contrast, Babylon Revisited, was written in the 1930s in the midst of the Great Depression. Through his deliberate and descriptive writing style, F. Scott Fitzgerald differentiates the two stories by using contrasting characters, and central conflicts.
While there are not many similarities between Bernice Bobs Her Hair and Babylon Revisited, …show more content…

First, the majority of the characters in each story differs greatly. In Bernice Bobs Her Hair, Fitzgerald focuses mainly on youthful characters. These characters have simplistic and petty goals compared to those of Babylon Revisited. They make irresponsible, impulsive decisions, thinking it would not affect their futures. One example, Marjorie, focused on herself and what she wanted which was to have fun without regard to others. The main objective for the characters in Bernice Bobs Her Hair were trivial teenage goals. This ideal is exemplified when Marjorie talks to her mother about cheap popularity, “‘It’s everything when you’re eighteen’” (“Bernice”). This quote represented the ideal of most young people during that time period. However, in Babylon Revisited, the characters assume more serious and adult-like roles. The main character, Charlie, has to assume responsibility for his actions instead of being carefree like the characters in Bernice Bobs Her Hair. Charlie is desperate to regain the custody of his daughter, Honoria. Fitzgerald does an excellent job of characterizing this need through the quote, “‘I 'm awfully anxious to have Honoria in it. I appreciate your taking in Honoria for her mother 's sake, but things have changed now...’” (“Babyon”). The quote shows Charlie’s attempt to regain his daughter, while …show more content…

Scott Fitzgerald’s view of the 1920s. Traditional gender roles are both reinforced and challenged throughout the story mainly through Marjorie’s character. She was praised and became popular for her “masculine” traits of being “witty,” but she still had to maintain her position in the feminine realm with her appearance. This contradiction reflects the fact that men of that time period wanted to be stimulated, but not challenged in regards to finding a suitable partner. Fitzgerald also highlights the volatile and fickle mentality of youth in the 1920s throughout the story. However, more serious and adult themes such as: alcoholism, trying to escape the past, and taking responsibility for one 's actions is found in “Babylon Revisited.” Fitzgerald viewed the 1930s as a decade for those who acted too frivolously to finally experience the repercussions for their actions. As he aged, his stories grew darker, which reflected that his once carefree view had shifted to reflect the harsh realities of

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