Dick as the tragic hero in Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night Tender is the Night tells the story of an American psychiatrist Dick Diver and his rich schizophrenic wife Nicole. We follow the deterioration of the elegant couple's seemingly wonderful and happy marriage presented in the first book, until the eventual divorce between the newly empowered and relatively stable Nicole and the somewhat broken but happy Dick. Dick's fall from grace is not entirely surprising considering his character's weaknesses and the choices he makes throughout the novel. Described early in the book in a very positive light as a wonderful entertainer and the epitome of social grace, Dick's character is not as strong, nor as pure as he appears at first glance. However, Dick is not an entirely bad person. It is actually some of the more positive aspects of his personality that, in combination with the negative aspects, lead to his eventual downfall. Book I of the novel introduces Dick as the beach jester and a gracious host. He seems to enjoy great respect from the people around him. The positive light cast on Dick at the beginning makes it likely that Dick Diver will eventually become the "hero" of the novel, an idea worth considering throughout the novel. But, at the end of Book I, the reader is still not certain of the main character's identity. “It is entirely plausible at that point in the novel to assume that Tender is the Night is actually the story of the young actress Rosemary” (LaHood, 27). Most of the first book revolves around Rosemary, and our perspectives on the characters are somewhat limited by her impressions of them. It's about her rather idealized impression of... middle of paper... the happy, stable, more independent life that she missed. Works cited and consulted: Bruccoli, Matthew J. and Judith S. Reader's companion to Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1996. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. Tender is the night. New York, NY: Scriber, 1933Grenberg, Bruce L. "Fitzgerald's 'Figure Curtain': Personality and History in Tender is the Night." In F. Scott Fitzgerald's Critical Essays on Tender Is the Night, ed. Milton R. Stern. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1986. LaHood, Marvin J., ed. Tender is the night: critical essays. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1969. Stern, Milton R. Tender is the Night: The Broken Universe. New York: Twayne, 1994. Stern, Milton R., ed. Critical essays on Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Boston: Hall, 1986.

Topic > Dick as the tragic hero in Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night Tender is the Night tells the story of an American psychiatrist Dick Diver and his rich schizophrenic wife Nicole. We follow the deterioration of the elegant couple's seemingly wonderful and happy marriage presented in the first book, until the eventual divorce between the newly empowered and relatively stable Nicole and the somewhat broken but happy Dick. Dick's fall from grace is not entirely surprising considering his character's weaknesses and the choices he makes throughout the novel. Described early in the book in a very positive light as a wonderful entertainer and the epitome of social grace, Dick's character is not as strong, nor as pure as he appears at first glance. However, Dick is not an entirely bad person. It is actually some of the more positive aspects of his personality that, in combination with the negative aspects, lead to his eventual downfall. Book I of the novel introduces Dick as the beach jester and a gracious host. He seems to enjoy great respect from the people around him. The positive light cast on Dick at the beginning makes it likely that Dick Diver will eventually become the "hero" of the novel, an idea worth considering throughout the novel. But, at the end of Book I, the reader is still not certain of the main character's identity. “It is entirely plausible at that point in the novel to assume that Tender is the Night is actually the story of the young actress Rosemary” (LaHood, 27). Most of the first book revolves around Rosemary, and our perspectives on the characters are somewhat limited by her impressions of them. It's about her rather idealized impression of... middle of paper... the happy, stable, more independent life that she missed. Works cited and consulted: Bruccoli, Matthew J. and Judith S. Reader's companion to Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1996. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. Tender is the night. New York, NY: Scriber, 1933Grenberg, Bruce L. "Fitzgerald's 'Figure Curtain': Personality and History in Tender is the Night." In F. Scott Fitzgerald's Critical Essays on Tender Is the Night, ed. Milton R. Stern. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1986. LaHood, Marvin J., ed. Tender is the night: critical essays. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1969. Stern, Milton R. Tender is the Night: The Broken Universe. New York: Twayne, 1994. Stern, Milton R., ed. Critical essays on Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Boston: Hall, 1986.