Scott Fitzgerald has written a story on the cruelties .
of conforming in order to achieve a higher social status. This tale is a bold statement upon .
the human need for acceptance and the consequences that accompany it.
The story of Bernice is of a young girl who within a week makes it to the top of .
the social ladder on a round trip ticket. The protagonist, Bernice, is a wealthy girl .
completely lacking in the social graces that the youth of California are supposed to .
exuberate. The antagonist, Marjorie, is a true social vampire and has no patience for the .
unpopular sort. The conflict is set mainly between Bernice and society; however, .
enveloped in this conflict is a personal clash between Bernice and Marjorie. Bernice .
begins as a shy, somewhat clumsy individual who has a sudden clash with society's .
requirements to live a happy life.
The exposition flows very smoothly throughout the short story and does not .
indulge in any sort of extra fluff to fill the spaces. Bernice is found to be from a very .
wealthy family in Eau Claire where her family's fortune has always been the foundation of .
her popularity. When she visits her cousin Marjorie, this wealth can no longer be a .
replacement for her lack of social grace and she finds herself devastatingly unpopular. .
Marjorie, on the other hand, is one of the most desirable women in town and can not stand .
Bernice's ineptitude. The girls are in the social circle of aristocrats and frequent weekly .
dances at the local country club. At these dances, girls achieve status and desirability .
through the number of men that cut in to dance with them throughout the night. A girl .
who almost never gets cut in upon is seen as boring and undesirable, and this is Bernice's .
predicament as the rising action begins.
The very first turning point of the story is Bernice's decision to allow Marjorie to .
teach her how to become popular. After over hearing Marjorie complaining about .
