From Flapper to Philosopher: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Hidden Cultural Evaluations of American Society in “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” “The Passionate Eskimo,” “May Day,” and “The Hotel Child”

• Main Author: Brooks, Lesley
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: VCU Scholars Compass 2014
• Subjects: F. Scott Fitzgerald; Ethnic stereotyping; Native Americans; Jewish Americans; The Passionate Eskimo; Bernice Bobs Her Hair; May Day; The Hotel Child; Arts and Humanities; English Language and Literature; Fitzgerald; eskimo*
• Online Access: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/3366; https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4365&context=etd

This thesis examines the treatment of Native American and Jewish American characters in four of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short stories: “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” (1920), “The Passionate Eskimo” (1935), “May Day” (1930), and “The Hotel Child” (1931). Little critical attention has been given to these stories even though they illustrate Fitzgerald’s awareness of the negative ramifications of culturally destructive views and an exploration of new culturally pluralistic ideas. In these stories, Fitzgerald undermines common ethnic stereotypes and demonstrates tension between the intolerance of the American public and the fear of immigrant influence. Fitzgerald is able to re-image the representation of members of these groups and show the evolution of his views on ethnicity and culture. In conclusion, this thesis argues that these stories reveal Fitzgerald’s interest in supporting some level of cultural pluralism and his need to tolerate, if not accept, the differences in the beliefs and cultures in America.