Similarities between Dick Diver and Abe North in Tender is the NightDick Diver and Abe North are characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, Tender is the Night. As presented at the beginning of the novel, Dick Diver and Abe North do not appear to have much in common. As Dick Diver's character developed, the reader discovered that the characters paralleled each other. There were numerous unexpected similarities as the novel progressed. The introduction of Abe North's character “served as a preview to the fate of Dick Diver” (Stern, 117). The deterioration of the characters, the relationships with their wives, and their effects on other characters were some of the main similarities between Dick Diver and Abe North. At the beginning of the novel the characters of Dick Diver and Abe North seemed at odds. Dick was hospitable and admired by many. Meanwhile, Abe's temper had already worsened. The first thing said about Abe was negative. When Abe first appeared, Mrs. McKisco conveyed to Rosemary her opinion of him: "Well, he's a lousy musician." (Fitzgerald, 8). This statement was linked to Abe's lack of progress in his profession as clarified by Brady, "he was a musician who after a brilliant and early start had composed nothing for seven years". (Fitzgerald, 33). Based on these descriptions, Abe's character was reduced to a pitiful drunkard. However, Abe wasn't always the "underdog," as Nicole pointed out, "Abe was so nice...so nice. Way back when Dick and I first got married. If only you had known him At that time." (Fitzgerald, 99). At this point in the novel it seems like Dick is in more control of his life than Abe North. However, Dick's career was stagnant. Unlike Abe, however…half the paper…the gradations were parallel. A comment made by Nicole early in the novel now appears to be a prediction about the fate of Dick and Abe: "So many smart men go to pieces these days." (Fitzgerald, 99). Works cited and consulted: Bruccoli, Matthew J. The Composition of Tender Is the Night. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1963. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. Tender is the night. New York: Collier Books. 1982. Grenberg, Bruce L. "Fitzgerald's 'Figured Tent': 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., ed. Critical essays on Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Boston: Hall, 1986.