Bernice Bobs Her Hair

Analysis

Biographical

• Fitzgerald’s writing document the lives of the ‘hip young things’ that were kicking up their heels in the 1920s.

• This new generation of youth astonished their elders. They were ‘bold and infuriating’ and in some way Fitzgerald’s characters could be said to have provided a template for the modern socialite.

The Jazz Age

• Fitzgerald coined this term in 1922 – a little later than when he wrote these short stories but very relevant to Gatsby.

• The 1920s were also known as The Roaring Twenties.

Flappers and Philosophers

Fitzgerald’s ideas

• Fitzgerald strove to faithfully and entertainingly depict the changing face of youth in his time.

Fitzgerald’s Female Characters

• The women are envisioned as forward-thinking, revolutionary "flappers"

slang for the kind of new, fast-talking, Charleston-dancing, jazz-listening, leg-baring gal that em.erged at this time

Fitzgerald’s Male Characters

• The men, who either narrowly missed or survived the horrors of World War I, are labelled "philosophers."

The Title

• This title sums up the hedonistic modus operandi of the period: life might be short, so you might as well make it as sweet as possible.

hedonistic self-indulgent, pleasure-seeking, debauched

modus operanditechnique, way of doing things, procedure

The characters

• While this story is not as dramatic as some other of Fitzgerald’s works, there are still the same themes and ideas coming through.

Inter-Generational tension

• The young characters in this story have very different ideas to that of their parents.

• They don’t want to live for the future…they live for now!

Marjorie

• She claims to be a ‘gardenia girl’ which is a blossom that is very beautiful but whose beauty fades fast. (Part II, page 2)

Bernice

• In contrast to Marjorie, Bernice represents a more traditional kind of womanhood.

• Bernice is totally boring and totally predictable• She is so predictable that Marjorie is able to

manipulate her.

The tension between Marjorie and Bernice

• It is this tension that reflects the social conditions of Fitzgerald’s time.

The Plot

• New girl arrives in town, and is taken under the rather uncomfortable wing of the queen bee.

• She learns the ABCs of popularity, and quickly becomes popular herself.

• Soon enough, the student eclipses the master; the queen bee is disturbed and seeks vengeance (which then backfires on her).

• The upstart triumphs in the end, and the social order is ultimately shaken up. End of story.

Mean Girls much?

• Rather than saying it’s a direct rip-off, we can focus on the reason for these similarities.

• They are similar because they are both based in fact. – Girl Culture is girl culture. It’s been the same for

ages.

Ideas and themes

• The vicious nature of female competition is at the core of this story.

• Different concepts of femininity are also being explored by Fitzgerald. – What do we expect of girls and what makes a

woman?

One Conclusion

• One conclusion that can be reached is that there is no strict definition of femininity.

• Any concept of an ‘ideal woman’ can never cover the spectrum of people out there in the world! – Creating a model of an ideal woman causes

competition, jealousy, and all-round trouble.

Bernice

• We are not sure about what happens to Bernice after the story ends.

• The moral of the story however…– Hopefully all of the diverse definitions of

womanhood (humanhood) will someday be equally accepted, and will be able to live together peacefully.

The end of the story

What do you think happens at the end of the story?

Write a paragraph that tells what happens the next morning – either for Bernice or Marjorie or Warren.

Share with your partner. I will ask for volunteers to read theirs out.