Daddy’s Girl or Daddy’s Rebel?

Currently, I’m reading Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. So far, I’m thinking about doing my essay analyzing the symbolism within this story. I want to focus on the idea of Rosemary’s movie, Daddy’s Girl, in the story, and how it’s used as a symbol of  public appearances and falseness. It’s used throughout the book and makes the reader think about how Rosemary is constantly trying to live up to the image of the perfect little girl. The quote I chose is stated by Nicole Diver, “‘Most people think everybody feels about them much more violently than they actually do; they think other people’s opinions of gem swing through great arcs of approval or disapproval'”(Fitzgerald 54).  I chose this quote because I think it reflects how Rosemary feels about society. She is constantly trying so hard to be a perfect little girl in everybody’s eyes and be the girl she is in her movie. Nicole simply states to Rosemary that society doesn’t really care at all who you are, and we should all stop caring about how we are seen.

I don’t really like the way the author introduced the relationship between Rosemary and Dick. It was kind of confusing in that they didn’t really have a lot of interaction, and when they did, I felt not very much chemistry. Then, all of a sudden, they were together and I hadn’t even realized it. There was a scene of them kissing which really confused me because there was never an actual scene where they decided to get together. Whenever they’re together, it just seems a bit disingenuine, and I kind of get the feeling that Rosemary is obsessed with Dick and Dick doesn’t have very strong feelings in return. I’m not sure if this is what Fitzgerald wants us to think, but I guess I will keep learning as I read. 

 

One Reply to “Daddy’s Girl or Daddy’s Rebel?”

  1. It will be interesting, once we read THE GREAT GATSBY, for you to be able to compare Fitzgerald’s rhetorical decisions between these two novels.

    Why do you think Fitzgerald doesn’t introduce Rosemary & Dick? Remember, always thinking of the WHY will help you narrow your focus.

Leave a Reply