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Book 1, Chapter 2
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Tender Is the Night, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Excess, Destruction, and the Failed American Dream
Gender, Mental Illness, and Psychiatry
The Pursuit of Youth and Innocence
Racism and Otherness
Summary
Analysis
When Rosemary and her mother, Mrs. Speers, seat themselves in the dining room, the former announces that she “fell in love on the beach.” Seemingly unsurprised, Rosemary’s mother listens to how her daughter fell in love with a whole group of “nice” looking people, and then later with one man in particular—“very handsome. With reddish hair […] married.” Mrs. Speers is an optimistic and generous woman who has carefully and deliberately raised Rosemary to be “hard,” “mature,” and idealistic, all at once. Although she is content with Rosemary’s development—and her success starring in the film Daddy’s Girl—she is keen for Rosemary to become more independent, but less focused on herself.
Mrs. Speers has carefully and deliberately developed various skills in Rosemary, as if her daughter were a project or an investment. Indeed, the two live off the money Rosemary has earned in the movie business. Nonetheless, she is a supportive and caring mother and listens patiently while Rosemary tells her childish story about falling in love with Dick. Through the title of Rosemary’s film, “Daddy’s Girl,” Fitzgerald reveals a societal obsession with both youth and innocence in the wake of World War I. People looked to the younger generation, untouched by the horrors of war, as a symbol of hope and goodness.
Themes
With no “stimuli” to entertain them after lunch, the women become easily bored, and Rosemary confirms they should only stay three days. When her mother enquires after the man she claims to have fallen in love with, Rosemary replies saying, “I don’t love anybody but you, Mother, darling.”
Fitzgerald highlights the petulant childishness of the Jazz Age crowd when portraying how Rosemary and Mrs. Speers become easily tired of their surroundings when not provided with distractions.
Themes
Rosemary travels to Cannes by herself. She is “embarrassed” by the silence in the bus, and later, upon arriving in the sleepy town, Rosemary feels self-conscious about being there out of season, which she considers unfashionable. Rosemary sees Mrs. Diver cross the street and observes her “lovely face” and “brave” eyes. Reading the newspaper in a café, Rosemary concludes that her time in France is “empty and stale”—she longs for excitement.
Again, Rosemary is so preoccupied with appearing fashionable, that she doesn’t enjoy the natural beauty surrounding her, or the charm of the French town, Cannes. She is young and her desire for new, exciting opportunities dominates her thoughts. Rosemary perceptively observes, however, that there is more to Nicole than meets the eye—her “brave” eyes suggest that she has experienced some hardship in life.
Themes
The next day, Mrs. Speers and Rosemary hire a car and a chauffeur and enjoy a pleasant drive along the Riviera. Hearing some music in the distance, Rosemary is inspired to make the most of her last two days and resolves to avoid the people she had met on the beach the day before for the rest of her stay.
Fitzgerald captures the relaxed opulence of expatriate life when portraying Mrs. Speers and Rosemary’s lifestyle on the French Riviera. Their American wealth goes far in Europe, where they can easily pay for a local driver.
Themes
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