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February 06, 2006
"Bernice Bobs Her Hair"
Fitzgerald, ''Bernice Bobs Her Hair'' (1920) -- Jerz: American Lit II (EL 267)
"Bernice did not fully realize the outrageous trap that had been set for her until she met her aunt's amazed glance just before dinner."
I'm sure FItzgerald wanted us to sympathize with Bernice - after all, this is her story. I know that Bernice's struggles with Marjorie are a symbol of the clash of Victorian innocence with the New Woman of the 1920s. I know that Bernice has to be as naive as she is for the story to work. I know it's just a story. But Bernice is so naive that I can't stand it. I cant sympathize with her at all. She's too much of a simpleton for too much of the story for me to ever make an emotional connection with her.
Posted by MeganRitter at February 6, 2006 04:18 PM
Comments
True, when we first meet Bernice, she is rather plain. But what about when she goes to Marjorie and expresses a willingness to change. Now, she's doing so becasue she wants Marjorie's cousinly affection, she already knows she's popular back home. It seems to me that Fitzgerald is telling us that Bernice has at least a little extra surprise in reserve.
Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz at February 6, 2006 04:29 PM
I don't think that Bernice is naive. I think that Marjorie is really the naive one. She is too concerned with superficial problems to realize that maybe Bernice is too mature and smart to fit into her childish life. Bernice can see the whole picture. Impressing a bunch of men does not thrill her. She knows that there are more important things in life.
Posted by: Onilee Smith at February 6, 2006 07:39 PM
There's a difference between naivety and ignorance. As Dr. Jerz notes, Bernice claims to be popular back home, implying that she has plenty of social experience. I think she fell into Marjorie's trap not because of innocence, but rather because she simply did not know the true depth of her cousin's cruelty -- nor does anyone else in the story, as far as I can tell.
Posted by: ChrisU at February 7, 2006 12:37 AM
Wow, I didn't know so many people liked Bernice.
Chris has a very good point as to Bernice not understanding the depths of Marjorie's cruelty. That was what I was really getting at when I called her naive - that she was silly and inexperienced enough to fall into the trap Marjorie had set for her. I have a gut feeling Chris might be right, that Bernice had no way to know what a flat-out jerk her cousin really was - but I can't shake the feeling that she SHOULD have known. After all, she offends Marjorie, and then Marjorie badgers her into doing something silly that Bernice doesn't really want to do. Wouldn't it be obvious?
Posted by: Megan Ritter at February 8, 2006 03:48 PM