THE FLAPPERS: A ROMANTIC AND SEXUAL REVOLUTION IN THE TWENTIES FROM THE EYES OF FITZGERALD'S BERNICE BOBS HER HAIR

Abstract

Most of Fitzgerald's novels and stories start as a romance
of love or a fantasy of extravagant glamour in representing his
characters. Bernice Bobs Her Hair, however, suggests Fitzgerald's
different approach by reducing this element. Critics believe that it is
simply because it is a short story, or maybe because it is more based
on his personal concern about the society. Nevertheless, t~is work
has surprised many people that latter become Fitzgerald'5 unique
characteristics in writing his fictions.
Compared to other Fitzgerald's work, Bernice's settings and the
interplay between its characters and the places they live are quite
simple. However, this simplicity contains deceptive symbolism that
replicates American culture in the twenties. Fitzgerald's unparalleled
representation of Jazz Age as a time of post war's confusion as well
as negative consequence of industrialism is brilliantly pictured in
this story.
Fitzgerald uses the twenties, the time setting of the story. as a source
of imagery objects that reflects social trends and individual desires.
Although he uses local and restricted settings for the action site of
the story, the impression of America in the twenties can be strongly
feltin this story. Such quality, the writer argues, proves the outstanding
ability of Fitzgerald's fiction in picturing the story with its complexities
and sophistication that crosses the barrier of time and space.