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February 06, 2006
Pocket wisdom
Fitzgerald, ''Bernice Bobs Her Hair'' (1920) -- Jerz: American Lit II (EL 267)
“People over forty can seldom be permanently convinced of anything. At eighteen our convictions are hills from which we look; at forty-five they are caves in which we hide.” (Bernice Bobs Her Hair, Section II, 20)
I like this line because it rolls off my tongue so neatly. It seems like a bit of wisdom I can stick in my back pocket, but I’m not certain it’s true. There are exceptions to every rule.
I suppose it speaks to the arrogance of youth versus the relatively reserved manner in which people act as they grow older. People can use their convictions like armor plating to prevent them from doing or experiencing anything new simply because the feel “it’s out of character.”
When we're young, all we're concerned about seems to be the superficial things. Clothes, hair, popularity, etc. When we mature and get older, character issues become more important.
The conversation between Marjorie and her mother (while Bernice lingered covertly in the hallway) from which the lines are taken is an example of the different perspectives of a younger person and one who has not only lived life, but also weathered some bad times too.
The neighbor in “Mending Wall” was convinced that good fences make good neighbors and he was determined to stick with that axiom simply because he always had. He was hiding behind his conviction and he wasn't about to put it under a microscope to examine its true worth. No amount of reasoning by Frost’s protagonist could dissuade him.
Posted by MattHampton at February 6, 2006 02:21 AM
Comments
“People over forty can seldom be permanently convinced of anything. At eighteen our convictions are hills from which we look; at forty-five they are caves in which we hide.
This comment is made by Fitzgerald in Marjorie's behalf, and is so sad because Marjorie has enough wherewithall to understand that she only has to survive to middle-age before she will become a hermit with only her convictions to keep her company, yet she is spending her youth on superficial, trivial, social matters. Matt is right that some middle-agers stop growing and learning due to the self-images they have crafted over a lifetime, but there is a calm wisdom to Mrs. Harvey's disassociation with the whole Bernice problem. I don't think that Marjorie really has any convictions to make a hill from, she just makes herslf feel better by putting Bernice down.
Posted by: Brenda Christeleit at February 6, 2006 10:57 AM
The "hill" seems to be made of the superficial matters Brenda refers to and is stood upon by the young with confidence. Marjorie indeed has quite a hill to stand on and judge others from, but I agree that she has a sense that this hill will eventually "cave" in and leave her down in a lonely hole.
Posted by: Jennifer DiFulvio at February 6, 2006 02:29 PM
I agree with your outlook on this statement regarding the truth of it... But when you speak of the arrogance of youth on the top of the hill, I think that a better word choice would be ignorance of youth...
Posted by: Kaylee North at February 6, 2006 08:47 PM
Matt brings up a good point about the maturation through life. When your young, it seems as if you live your life for others; as we all grow older we realize more about ourselves and what makes us happy. Bernice did commit a nasty act at the end, and I'm not making light of it, but I felt happy for Bernice that she came to terms with her new hairstyle, and more importantly her new self.
Posted by: Shanelle Kapusta at February 6, 2006 09:38 PM
"People can use their convictions like armor plating to prevent them from doing or experiencing anything new simply because the feel 'it’s out of character.'"
Opinions are immunity to being told you're wrong. I don't think people feel that it's "out of character," but rather they just don't want to admit when they're wrong.
Posted by: ChrisU at February 7, 2006 12:30 AM