"Bernice bobs her hair" Short Story Analysis
The common message in “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” that is also in the poem “The Flapper” is that flappers had a way of thinking that showed individuality and passion. The voice from both pieces of literature are very similar: Flappers lived life carefree, somewhat selfishly and mainly did things that only benefited them in some way. As F. Scott Fitzgerald states in a conversation between a flapper and her cousin, “And finally, poise and charm will just come. You’ll wake up some morning knowing you've attained it, and men will know it too.” (Line 88) This quote shows the importance of the mindset of a flapper. Every little thing they did, they would ask themselves if it would benefit them in the end. If it would please the men; if their actions would later effect their popularity with the boys. This way of thinking is similarly explained in the poem by Dorothy Parker. As Bernice, the main character in the short story, transforms into the flapper lifestyle, she finds herself changing, not only her outward appearance, but emotionally as well. As it states, "With the feeling that people really enjoyed looking at her and listening to her came the foundation of self confidence." This quote is very important to the story because it goes along with the message that both authors try to put across. The last quote says, "A girl has to be dainty in person. If she looks like a million dollars she can talk about Russia, ping pong, or the League of Nations and get away with it." Meaning that personality and appearance were important to men, not so much knowledge. A girl could be dumb or extremely smart and it wouldn't even matter to men as long as they were attractive and flirty. That is the motto that the flappers lived by.