I read
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This novel centers around Amory Blaine and his journey of growing up into a somewhat mature adult. As a child, Amory travelled around with his mother who was somewhat of an eccentric person. They traveled around Europe and lived the high life on his father's alimony. When she goes off the deep end into a fit of alcoholism she sends Amory away to live in St. Paul Minnesota. Amory is described as very handsome and pompus, and even as a child he believed he was above everyone. When he graduated from prep school Amory went off to Princeton to pursue the life of "lazy aristocracy" he believed was there. When he went to Princeton he spent far more time in social pursuits than on academics. He wanted to become the big man on campus and in doing so, failed out of school. He joined the army for a short time soon after and when he returned fell in love for the first time named Rosalind Cannage. In order to keep her he took up a job in advertising which he hated. After losing her because he was no longer a wealthy person, he drank himself nearly to death for two weeks, until this stint was interrupted by Prohibition. After Rosalind the 23 year old Amory has a relationship with and impetouous 18 year old named Elenor. Their relationship does not last very long. He soon loses all his money and is left with no realtionships at all.
Questions:
1. Amory is raised as a privileged child with his mother Beatrice. Do you think that this childhood had to do with his failure to mature and live a successful life?
2. Based on Amory's surroundings and the wealthy company he found himself in, do you think it wsa worth it for Amory to take up an advertisisng job he hated in order to win Rosalind?
14 comments:
1. The way in which a child is raised has a definite impact on the way in which they behave when they are older. Due to the fact that Amory was given everything that he wanted in life, he assumed that he would still be given everything as an adult. He didn't realize that in order to get what you want, you have to work hard to get there. Therefore, I believe that his childhood is what utimately caused him to fail as an adult.
2. Through Amory's eyes, I don't think that he saw the advertising job as being worth it because he didn't get Rosalind in the end. In my opinion, it was definitely worth it for Amory to take up the job because he was working hard in order to get something that he wanted. Which is the first step to Amory learning how to become a successful adult.
1. The way a child is raised definitely has a huge impact on how they will act later on in life. If one never learns morals due to the spoiling parents then the child will probably not be very respectful and always think that he/she deserves whatever he/she wants. They might have no respect for others because their parents gave them whatever they wanted to make them stop complaining. Instead of giving them love, they gave them money, and money may buy happiness for a child, not does not even come close for an adult.
I think this had a major impact on his failure to be successful. I think so because he became out of touch with reality. His inability to realize the work and effort he needed to be successful obviously resulted in his failures. Due to his coddled childhood, he never truly understood all the work that goes in to being a success.
1. I agree that Amory is greatly impacted by his upbringing. A person needs to learn how to make it on their own and become independent. When a child is smothered, they do not mature or become a successful adult. Amory assumed that he could get by without any effort or hard work on his end; life would just be handed to him because he is above the common person that has to work for a living.
I do believe his childhood had an impact on his adult life and his inability to mature because he didn't have to work for anything growing up. Because he never got to understand the value of hard work as a child, he couldn't suddenly develop that quality as an adult and become a success.
I believe his childhood caused his failures later in life. He never learned that sucess is gained by hard work growing up as a privilaged child. His inability to understand reality is due to his childhood which blinded him to it for so long.
Privileged children often grow up to hold the same beliefs they had when they were children. They mooch off of others who do the hard work while they wait idly aside enjoying the worker's benefits. In this situation, Amory has followed this pattern of laziness and only wanting the fame of a businessman without any of the work involved. His views towards the professional world have been flawed as a result of his upbringing.
1. I think that his childhood partly had to do with his failure to mature and live a successful life. When children grow up thinking they can have whatever they want, they usually keep that mind set as they get older. I think that being so full of himself was the other reason for his downfall.
The way you are raised as a child has a lot to do with what the rest of your life holds. I think that his mother kind of showing him the lifestyle that was expected of him to acquire on his own put a lot of pressure on him and might've even syked him out a little, and eventually in the end of the novel he chokes and ends up with nothing. So, yes, I do believe that his childhood with his mother set him up for failure.
For question one, I do believe his childhood has affect his ability to mature. As a child he never had to work for anything so when he became older, it was very difficult to earn anything he really wanted, like his relationship with Rosalind.
For two, I do believe he made the correct choice in taking the job. Even though he hated that occupation it taught him to work for what he wanted.
1. I think that the way we're raised and the type of environment we grow up in are the two most important things in shaping the kind of people we grow up to be. Because Amory grew up having everything done for him he didn't know how to handle himself.
Sometimes you have to do things you do not like to get things you want. You have to make sacrifices and work hard things will not just come to you if you do not work for them.
I feel that having a privileged life as a child would affect a persons future greatly. How a person is raised sets them up for how they are going to live their lives on their own. If a person was never taught how to live for themself, then they will not mature up and be able to live a sucessful life. They will not be able to know what to do to make mooney or even how to get a job in general.
Your childhood has a great affect on who you're going to become later in life. Because Amory was so spoiled and never had to work for anything he's not going to know what it's like to be an adult and work hard.
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