Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was a novelist, essayist, and short story writer, who is considered one of the greatest literary figures to hail from the United States in the 20th century. He published four novels, four story collections, and 164 short stories, with his writings popularly depicting flamboyance and grandeur alongside deep social commentary.
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His most popular work is arguably The Great Gatsby, which has been adapted for motion picture many times. Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 and died December 21, 1940, at the age of 44. Commemorating his birthday, today’s quote is an excerpt from his fourth and final completed novel, Tender Is the Night.
The quote reads: “Either you think — or else others have to think for you and take power from you, pervert and discipline your natural tastes, civilise, and sterilise you.”
What is the meaning of F Scott Fitzgerald’s quote?
The quote is part of the interior monologue of Nicole Warren, a character in Tender Is the Night who is a victim of abuse and a mental-health patient gradually moving toward autonomy. However, her freedom comes at the cost of her husband, who has cared for her but who grows ever-weaker.
The verbs in the quote are carefully chosen, each carrying its own significance. ‘Pervert’ and ‘discipline’ are what Nicole related to her father, Devereaux Warren, who had been her abuser.
It also hints at her husband, Diver, who was once her psychiatrist, and who can be assumed to have groomed her, even if it was his intention to help. The pattern repeats itself when Diver falls for another one of his young patients. Even safeguarding her health was entangled with his work, thus the verbs “sterilise” and “civilise.”
What is the relevance of F Scott Fitzgerald’s quote?
Going beyond the context of the novel, the quote by F Scott Fitzgerald shares a very important message for all to keep in mind: the importance of free thinking. Human beings are thinking, social animals, and it is ideas that move society.
If we do not think on our feet or are not properly equipped with knowledge to guide our thoughts, others will be thinking for us and making decisions for us, and what we may conceive as freedom may well be an illusion of choices.