Title: Bernice Bobs Her Hair and Other Stories
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Year Published: 1920
Genre: Literary Fiction, Short Stories
Setting: The United States (various states)
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bernice Bobs Her Hair and Other Stories: A Blurb
Bernice Bobs Her Hair and Other Stories is a collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short stories from early in his career. There are six stories included:
- Bernice Bobs Her Hair: a story where a “nerdy girl” gets made over to become a “popular girl” (more or less)
- The Offshore Pirate: a bored young woman is kidnapped after pirates take over her yacht
- The Ice Palace: a Southern belle follows her beau to the North and experiences culture shock
- The Diamond as Big as the Ritz: a young man goes to his friend’s family’s luxurious estate in Montana, only to discover that there’s more than meets the eye
- The Jelly Bean: an account of the life and girl troubles of a listless Southern man
- May Day: a story that follows several people on May Day 1919, discussing themes like class
The Ice Palace and The Jelly Bean are, in theory, related, but only by one mention of a character from the first story. The rest of the stories are stand alone stories ranging from about 15 to 40 pages. In my version, the entire book was about 170 pages.
My Thoughts
Fitzgerald is one of my favorite writers, and while I have read most of his novels, I have not gone far into his short stories. In general, short stories aren’t my favorite writing form, whether that is in writing them or reading them. I’ve heard several people say that short stories were Fitzgerald’s real forte and that he shines here more than in his novels, so I was curious to verify. In the end, I learned that although he is certainly still a talented writer in short stories, I definitely prefer his novels more.
However, that’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy most of the stories. The Jelly Bean and May Day weren’t for me, but Bernice Bobs Her Hair and A Diamond as Big as the Ritz were two of my favorites. Each of the stories, while varying largely in content, generally focused on the same ideas: the luxuries and change of the early 20th century, the fallout of the Civil War and World War I, flappers and parties, American regional identity, romance, and class and wealth. So, in other words, the themes that pervade all of his novels most certainly were here.
In terms of writing style, it felt more similar to The Beautiful and Damned than The Great Gatsby or Tender is the Night, which obviously makes sense, as both were written at the beginning of his career. You could definitely see traces of Anthony and Gloria Patch in some of the characters here, which, again, makes sense, as they were also semi-autobiographical.
A Diamond as Big as the Ritz
Out of all of the stories, A Diamond as Big as the Ritz was probably the one that stood out to me the most. It felt different from most of his writing that I’ve read, and (SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT) almost reminded me of The Most Dangerous Game, which was published only a few years later. It was witty and satirical in a different way, and although all of his pieces show the dark underbelly of society, this one felt like it did it in a more action/adventure/horror way and less in a subtle, character-driven way. I really enjoyed it.
Bernice Bobs Her Hair and The Offshore Pirate
Bernice Bobs Her Hair and The Offshore Pirate were both lighter, more enjoyable reads that set the reader firmly in that era. They were quick and enjoyable, and made me laugh. The first felt like the typical “high school drama” type of story, which made it even more amusing to me because it came from a male writer.
May Day and The Jelly Bean
That’s also probably why May Day and The Jelly Bean didn’t really land with me. I know that some people really enjoyed them, but they just didn’t have the same sparkle or interest for me. Maybe it’s because the stories were more male-centric and less about adventure or romance. I don’t know. They just felt a little emptier, even if May Day covered some political topics and had some excellent quotes. However, I’ve seen several people say differently, so it’s personal preference.
Through this medley Dean and Gordon wandered; the former interested, made alert by the display of humanity at its frothiest and gaudiest; the latter reminded of how often he had been one of the crowd, tired, casually fed, overworked, dissipated. To Dean the struggle was significant, young, cheerful; to Gordon it was dismal, meaningless, eternal.
–F. Scott Fitzgerald, May Day
The Ice Palace
Finally, The Ice Palace is a story that really resonated with me as someone living outside of their home culture. Sally Carrol follows her fiancé from her Southern city to his Northern one, and it’s clear that Fitzgerald writes from experience (or from Zelda’s experience). He nails the emotions perfectly. When you’re in your home, you always want more. You think the grass is greener, and you want to explore. Once you get to the other side, however, there’s a definite adjustment. For some people, it’s like Sally Carrol’s experience: you quickly realize that you belong at home, not there. For others, it’s a good change, but there’s still that period of reflection and homesickness.
Either way, leaving your home–whether it’s inside your own country or moving from one country to another–really forces you to reflect on who you are in the world, what your home culture is, what your new culture is, and what things you retain from each. As an American living in Italy, I think about this constantly, and it’s incredible how much my feelings toward some things have changed. The change in perspective is also why I always say that college kids should do a study abroad if they can! You learn so much about yourself, and Fitzgerald really captures that turmoil. I also always love stories that highlight American regional differences, which this entire collection had in spades.
Overall, Bernice Bobs Her Hair and Other Stories was a very enjoyable short story collection with something for everyone. It was typical Fitzgerald style and a relatively quick read, so I would recommend it. For teachers, it could also be a great introduction to his style (my picks would be Bernice Bobs Her Hair and The Ice Palace).
Have you read this book? Let me know your thoughts!
