Throughout the centuries, the vogue for young women had constantly evolved and is an indicator of social status. Fitzgerald wrote “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” to show the 1920s trends and how important they were to young women. This time period depicts a distinctive change in the fashion icons of young women that is greatly scrutinized by adults. He wants to portray the distinctive change from the proper, reserved girl, like in Little Women, to the flapper. The widely unaccepted trends of the flapper illustrate the social climb all young women were willing to take in order to be accepted by their peers. In “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”, Fitzgerald illustrates the social norms that encourage societal conformity and the competition for social success in the 1920s. The flapper became an important icon for young women in the 1920s. In “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”, Fitzgerald shows the transition from the poised young women to the reckless flapper. Marjorie exclaims, “‘Oh please don’t quote ‘Little Women’!’ cried Marjorie impatiently ‘That’s so out of style.’” (Fitzgerald 53). Although this trend seemed to be the norm of teenagers, it did not sit well with adults. Adults often found the attitudes and morals of flappers irresponsible and did not support …show more content…
The ideal of making it in society is rather destructive and not all it plays out to be. Fitzgerald shows this in his story when in the end, Bernice bobs her hair and no one cares about her anymore. Although this story is relevant to the lifestyle of teens today, Fitzgerald based this story off of letters he sent to his sister on how to get boys to like her. This is relatively ironic because he is telling his sister how to fit in and be liked by boys just like Marjorie. As much as Fitzgerald denys conformity in his short story, He is too conforming to the judgemental
In this novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, feminists question the treatment the women in book receive by the men. An example of this is when the author writes, “Benny McClenahan arrived always with four girls. They were never quite the same in physical personal, but they were so identical one with another that it inevitably seemed they had been there before” (p.63). This quotes shows the way women were treated in the society of the 1920’s, this was the time in which women started changing their behaviour
Joshua Zeitz, an American author and historian writes about, the contemporary woman modernizing the new decade of the twenties. Flappers were the epitome of the twenties, the pushers against social norms, and the young rambunctious women who changed the meaning of what meant to be a woman. Zeitz includes quotes from the inventor of the flapper, F.Scott Fitzgerald “‘The flapper is growing stronger than ever; she gets wilder all the time ... She is continuously seeking for something due to increased her store of experience. She still is looking for new conventions to break -for a new thrills, for sensations to add zest to life, and she is growing more and more terrible’”, (Zeitz 7).
With the right to vote, consumer based culture, leisure time, and modernism, women who followed these new practices and ideals created the flapper image of the roaring twenties we know today. In Fitzgerald’s story he describes the girls almost wanting to be flappers to me it seems as if in almost all of Fitzgerald’s books he has a girl who is the opposite of what her society wants her to be like and is leaning towards the lifestyle of a flapper girl it's like they are all the same person or have many of the same characteristic in “ The Great Gatsby” which is one of my favorite books, Jordan Baker is a golfer who represents what the new woman is which is cynical,boyish, and self centered. She kinda reminds me of how Beatrice and Marjorie are at the end. They had almost every iconic element of a flapper besides the bobbed hair,but they loved to party at the end , they dance to jazz music, was cut-in every few feet on the dance floor, was always wearing the latest fashions, and was all over casual dating. With this new flashy and flirtatious attitude and charm that young women
Fitzgerald’s stories focuses on the new generation of America with bold, excessive and infuriating characters. He depicts Jazz Age; the celebration and the loss of the Roaring Twenties. “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”, a short story by Fitzgerald, focuses on the struggle of a beautiful but reserved young girl, Bernice. Although Bernice is the protagonist of the story but other characters also lay a very important role in determining her character and fate.
As early as in 1905, an actor named Clara Bow had already risen to fame as a flapper, and it didn’t take long before many other women start to imitate her styles. (Encyclopedia.com) Articles which remarked flappers positively also started to appear as of 1919. (Chronicling America) Therefore, it is reasonable to include the cultural changes and the new values represented by the Flappers as an important piece of background information when evaluating Wharton’s
Brandon Giraldo Mr. Drazic & Mrs. Macri English October 18, 2015 In the story Bernice Bobs Her Hair by F. Scott Fitzgerald, teens are in the chase or hunt to become popular. The author F. Scott Fitzgerald is trying to portray the message that competition of popularity can lead to the destruction of a character. No one should try to be someone they are not, while it will only cause poor things to occur. By the use of characterization, the author portrays that competition of popularity can lead to the destruction of a character.
Unit 1- Activity 4: Paraphrasing Paraphrasing exercise: The temperature of the earth is controlled by the cold waters of Antarctica and the warm waters of the tropics. The rising of Antarctica's water cools not only other seawater, but also the air. Now, humans have begun to disrupt this natural occurrence through global warming and pollution.
Through use of comparison between Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s message about women and feminine power is that having a man deprives the women of their power, ranking higher in social standards deepens the wound of selfishness, and being deceptive
The flapper’s appearance on the scene changed a formerly all-male drinking culture. The new nightclubs and cabarets went out of their way to appeal to women, whether with their decor or by hiring attractive male bartenders to appeal to female customers. Even the drinks of the time were feminised, with sweet and colourful cocktails replacing whiskey shots and beer.
Since early ages, mothers have always criticized the ways their daughters acted. In the 1920s criticisms were taken a step further by the flappers, who completely revolutionized the view on females. Flappers in the 1920s had an impact on women for the future. Who they were, what they wore, and what their morals were was how their impacts changed the future for all the females. “The term "flapper" originated in the 1920s and refers to the fashion trend for unfastened rubber galoshes that "flapped" when walking, an attribution reinforced by the image of the free-wheeling flapper in popular culture.”
Flappers In the 1920’s, a new woman and following a new era was born. Women were no longer scared to express themselves or to act different. They smoked, drank, and voted. They cut their hair, they’d get all dolled up and do their makeup, and they went to parties.
Joshua show us that the flapper was more or less a victim of circumstance. With all the new advances in technology and the reforms of the world, it was only a matter of time before women decided that they needed some independence as well. Immigrants coming in the country left and right, people of color fighting for their human rights, and men fighting for their country. They began to smoke, drink and have sex because it was their life, they wanted to vote, own property and obtain any job they wanted because it was their right, they did not want to dress in their mother’s attire and not all of them wanted to have children because it was their body. The 1920’s were revolutionary for the woman and Mr. Zeitz puts it all into perspective with his
The Jazz Era led to a new type of woman emerging: flappers. Flappers were young, energetic women who embraced their true identities and loved freedom, however, they were heavily belittled by the older generation. Fitzgerald’s novel highlights the stark contrast between the new women, and the old, Victorian Women. Daisy, Gatsby’s love interest, grew up in an “old money” household and represents the Victorian Women. When she is telling Nick about her daughter, she expresses that the best thing her daughter can be is “a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 16).
The 1920s is a time of technological, economical, and social exploration. Myrtle, Daisy, and Jordan display the full image of what it is like to be a women in New York during the 1920s. They each have a personal struggle with society and the fight between what they want and what is expected of them. Each of these women wants to experience the glamor of the 1920s but has to maintain some of the traditional elegance of a woman. If the neglect to do so, they are treated harshly by society.
Thesis: In “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bernice is jealous of Marjorie, and it is solely based on her lack of knowledge of St. Paul and the repressive society of St. Paul. Outline I. Bernice is jealous of how Marjorie fits in so well and is adored by the boys in her town. A. Bernice overhears Marjorie and her mother’s conversation and finally realizes how people in St. Paul actually feel about her. 1.