The Not So Roaring Twenties

You have worked very hard reading a novel with challenging themes, studying the history, and learning about the author. Now it is time to gauge your overall understanding, especially in relation to the underlying theme of mental illness. You will demonstrate your understanding via a final test and a long essay. Familiarize yourself with the requirements and expectations outlined below.

Your final test (100 pts total) over Tender Is the Night will comprise general knowledge of 1920s history (short answer; 10 pts), character description (matching; 20 pts), identification of key events (multiple choice; 20 pts) and two short essay responses (25 pts/ea).

You will not be expected to know specific dates; however, being familiar with dates and timelines will benefit you, as your test is closed book and timed. However five essay prompts are provided below. You will receive two of these five prompts. Take this opportunity to become very familiar with the topics and think about your possible responses.

- Immediately after Dick and Nicole kissed for the first time on the veranda, a storm swept in. Fitzgerald writes that when they returned to the ballroom “the orchestra was playing a Strauss waltz, high and confusing. . . . For Doctor Diver to marry a mental patient? How did it happen? Where did it begin?” (156). Why did Fitzgerald describe the scene in this particular way? What literary elements does he use to convey to the reader a sense of what is to come?

-Michael Witkoski wrote an article for Magill’s Survey of American Literature. In his article he proposed that “it is an essential part of Dick Diver’s personality to feel loved and needed, and this causes him to marry Nicole” (1). Do you agree or disagree with Witkoski’s statement? Use specific examples from the novel to explain your answer.

-Consider Nicole’s progression throughout the novel. Does Fitzgerald ever elucidate the end result of Nicole’s mental illness and treatment; is she ever cured of her schizophrenia? Explain your answer.

-In her essay on Trauma and Gender in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender Is the Night, Tiffany Joseph states that “shell shock is a gendered trauma that is closely linked to ideas of masculinity and femininity, and men who suffered from shell shock were frequently stigmatized as unmanly. Such a charge would be doubly effective – or doubly devastating – in an era in which men were trying to reclaim what they thought was a lost masculine ideal” (70). How did Dick’s experiences corroborate or refute Joseph’s assertion? Use specific examples from the text.

-Michael Witkoski wrote an article for Magill’s Survey of American Literature. In his article he proposed that “the dual pressures of being Nicole’s husband and her doctor, combined with the lure of Nicole’s inherited fortune, undermine Dick’s dedication to his work” (1). In what ways did this doctor/husband relationship impact Dick’s professional and personal development? Did the relationship have an impact on Nicole’s treatment? Provide evidence for your response.

You will have four weeks to complete your long essay. The essay should be 4 – 5 pages long and include at least three distinct references to Tender Is the Night and another short story, novel or memoir (chosen from the list provided). Review the rubric for specific requirements.

Take this opportunity to review your options for your comparative text. Here are your choices:

• “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892)




• The Awakening by Kate Chopin (1899)




• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963)




• Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen (1993 – takes place in the 1960s)




• Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg (2008 – takes place in the late 1990s)

To help you decide which short story, novel or memoir you are most interested in reading, read the synopsis (or in many cases an excerpt) from the Barnes & Noble links at the very bottom of the page (below the rubric). Additionally, all options except for Hurry Down Sunshine have film adaptations; you may view clips of these (which may also be used as source material for your essay) under the See It tab.

Once you have chosen your comparative text, start thinking about which long essay you will complete; you do not need to decide right now, but you will have to confirm your choice with me in two weeks.

Your long essay will need to incorporate at least two additional sources (besides Tender Is the Night and the comparative text). You can find some ideas for additional sources under Further Reading in the Educate Yourself tab.

You are not limited to these essay choices, but other ideas require review and approval. Furthermore, you may use any essay prompt with all comparative texts. However, some texts will work better with certain prompts. Please consider this when choosing your text and your prompt.

In Tender Is the Night, Dick says that Nicole is “a permanent eccentric” and goes on to state that “you can’t change that” (151). Based on his statement, consider the following questions: can mental illness ever be completely cured? Where does the threshold of normalcy lie before one is considered mentally ill or cured from mental illness? Reflect on the character(s) from your comparative text, as well as Nicole, and provide evidence for your response.

Fitzgerald states that “[Nicole] preserved [her] individuality through men and not by opposition to them” (53), and later Nicole remarks to herself that “I’m almost complete… I’m practically standing alone, without [Dick]” (289). Consider the ways in which women submit to men in Tender Is the Night and your comparative novel; does this contribute to any portion of the women’s mental illness? Use specific examples from both texts to justify your reasoning.

Dick realizes that he “could not watch [Nicole’s] disintegrations without participating in them” (191); after Dick’s ultimate breakdown Nicole exclaims to him, “You’re a coward! You’ve made a failure of your life, and you want to blame it on me” (301). Study the progression of and ultimate position of Dick’s life, as well as that of the friends or family of a mentally ill character in your comparative text; do the adverse effects of mental illness significantly affect more than just the patient? Explain your answer using specific examples from both texts.