To be quite honest I really didn't want to read this story over again, but I figured what would it hurt. After reading it again I think I got more out of if this time than last.
I really don't think that Bernice was all that bad. Aren't we all a little boring at times? I think that if she would have had the right guidence I think that she could have really blossomed into a delightful person to be around. I really think that the bad situation that she was put into was good for her. I say that because now she sees that she has some potential in herself that she didn't see before. I really think once she got home she probably became more bold and assertive.
There were also some things that stood out to me this time around. I kind of wondered why didn't anyone noticed that she just suddenly changed in like one day. It's one thing to know that there are some things in your life that you have to work on but nobody can change that fast. I want to know why nobody seemed suspitious of her. Especially since she was beginning to resemble her cousin. One of the other things that bothered me was that Warren suddenly became cold just because she cut off her hair? Was that because it was so unlike Marj? At the beginning he seemed to like Bernice because of her cousin's qualities, but in the end I thought he was really beginning to like her. Was it because her hair was short, and that's only what flappers did? It would have been nice to see his reaction to Marj's hair. The answer to that question could have been revealed.
I really wish that F. Scott Fitzgerald would have at least continued the ending a little. I'm sure it would have been very dramatic. I would be dramatic too if I woke up and found that someone had cut my hair off. But since we will never know, I guess we all can use our own imaginations.
Posted by SueMyers at January 30, 2005 4:58 PMI'm glad you re-read the story... it's often possible to "get" the meaning of a literary work on the first read-through, but to appreciate (and study) exactly what the author has done, you really need to re-read it. I also recommend printing it out and marking it up with any comments or observations that you care to make.
Fitzgerald doesn't describe Warren's facial expression, but Warren's actions -- paying no further attention to Bernice, and agreeing to Marjorie's request to drive her home -- are pretty clear, especially in light of what Bernice does with Marjorie's hair. Bernice's brief success at useing Marjorie's techniques has certainly changed her... do you think she (Bernice) is a better person now?
Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz at January 31, 2005 12:30 AMI wouldn't say what she (Bernice) did to Marjorie was right, even though it was quite funny. I think her personality became better. I guess that she probably realized that she doesn't need other people to tell her what to do and say to talk to guys and to get along in society. Also, she knows what a horrible person her cousin was and I doubt that she would have ended up like Marjorie.
Posted by: Sue at January 31, 2005 10:17 AM