Bernice Bobs Her Hair

How does this story demonstrate the historic, cultural, and symbolic significance of hair? How is hair tied to sexuality and/or gender? How is the loss of her hair transformative to Bernice’s character, and what are its social implications?

What role does self-consciousness play? How are the characters affected by being aware or unaware of their own features and behaviors? Who demonstrates these issues, how, and to what effect? What are the advantages and disadvantages, as conveyed through the story, of being self-conscious?

Expand on the interpretation of Warren as a character. Why does he begin courting Bernice? What is his response to Bernice’s hair cutting, and why might he have responded this way? Why might F. Scott Fitzgerald have opened the story with Warren as the focus?

In the opening scene, Warren wonders about Bernice “whether she was a poor conversationalist because she got no attention or got no attention because she was a poor conversationalist” (359). In what ways does this story show social standing as cyclical or self-fulfilling?

How are elements of setting conveyed throughout the story? While some settings like the opening party are richly described, others like the city or the Harvey house are left undefined. What could be the purpose of this blending? What details are provided or omitted, and to what effect?

Could this story be considered satire? What satirical techniques, if any, are used? Against whom or what is satirical commentary made?