"Sphinx" character development -- head, body, and wings
Classmate Brenda's blog entry about a metaphor comparing Bernice to a sphinx in "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" sparked my investigative motor, so I loaded up an electronic encyclopedia on my laptop and did a little research to learn more about the mythology behind the creature.
The sphinx's body was composed of the parts of 3 distinct types of creatures:
Human Females
Bernice begins the story with this part of her character already present and obvious; she has feminine human qualities, unlike Marjorie. These qualities serve to draw her into conflict with her somewhat masculine cousin.
Lions
Bernice receives her lion-like courage, strength, and pride from Marjorie, after she is taught how to dress, act, and speak in order to become popular with Marjorie's friends. However, part of this aspect of her character also seemed to be already present, because she initially had the courage to undergo the transformation, and because she later has the strength to defy her cousin even in the wake of destruction caused by the trap.
Birds (Eagles?)
Bernice is trapped by her inhibitions about her relationship with her cousin and her cousin's friends at the beginning of the story, but throughout the latter half of the story she learns to break away from these concerns and develops a stronger sense of independence and freedom (perhaps a connection to the idea of eagles as a symbol of American freedom and individualism).
Considering all of that, I feel that this story shows Bernice's development into a true "sphinx" character, reaching a climax when she learns to bring all three parts of her new self into harmony, as is evidenced by the phrases I emphasized in the passage below:
But as the door closed something snapped within Bernice. She sprang dynamically to her feet, clinching her hands, then swiftly and noiselessly crossed over to her bed and from underneath it dragged out her suitcase. Into it she tossed toilet articles and a change of clothing. Then she turned to her trunk and quickly dumped in two drawerfuls of lingerie and summer dresses. She moved quietly, but with deadly efficiency, and in three-quarters of an hour her trunk was locked and strapped and she was fully dressed in a becoming new travelling suit that Marjorie had helped her pick out. [All emphasis my own.]
Comments
You blew me away with this one, Chris! Although you always seem to go above and beyond, this was truly excaptional. Nice work!
Posted by: Brenda Christeleit | March 1, 2006 12:51 PM
Thanks, Dr. Jerz. Glad I could help. I didn't notice the dynamics either the first time I read through the play.
Posted by: ChrisU | February 8, 2006 4:45 PM
I never really noticed just how dynamic the language is in that description of Bernice. While reading the story again this time, I noticed a passage that said "Marjorie's little fist clinched" during a confrontation with Bernice, and that Bernice "clinched her hands under the white cloth" during the haircut. So this reference to "clinching her hands" is obviously connected. Here, Bernice's hands aren't "little" -- Fitzgerald is preparing us to see them as powerful, perhaps so that we're prepared for almost anything when Bernice silently approaches the sleeping Marjorie with an unspecified tool in her hands.
The final detail, that Marjorie helped Bernice pick out the travelling suit, reminds us that in fiction, any time a character goes on a journey, it's productive to think of it as a quest.
In this final scene, Bernice is suiting up to do battle.
I would never have seen that so clearly if you hadn't point out these details, Chris. Good job.
Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz | February 8, 2006 2:41 PM