Three-Act Plot

• Act One (Book One) - Set Up:

  • We start off with Anthony a little bit before he met Gloria and then the early stages of their relationship (and I mean, early stages.) At this time their relationship is pretty complicated but there's no doubt of an attraction between the both of them. By the end of the last chapter in Book One, they finally come to terms with who they are and become "something." They also slightly mature towards the end of the last chapter as well, especially Gloria, since she went from being a rebellious, out-of-control chica to someone who has put college parties in the past. Here's essentially where they "set up" for their demise.

• Act Two (Book Two) - Confrontation:

  • Starting off the couple had already gotten engaged and are anticipating marriage, which ironically was not what they wanted for each other in the first place in Book One (they both greatly resented marriage, especially Gloria who feared being married would make her ugly - basically.) But, they were practically and frantically obsessed (in love) with each other so they were willing to settle down and commit. This is where they confront the idea of marriage - responsibility, loyalty, expectations to fulfill. Both of their personalities, in fact, are not prepared for such a task, which leads to dwelling in poor habits and longing for an escape from their reality. Eventually Anthony did recieve his escape, and that was getting drafted for the Army. Gloria just stayed home.

• Act Three (Book Three) - Resolution:

  • There isn't really a happy-ending with this one. In the beginning of this section Anthony has an affair and completely goes crazy when he realizes the consequences if caught and questions if Gloria is just as unfaithful he is. Eventually Anthony comes back to New York because the war is over, but this doesn't make their marriage any better. In fact, it just gets worse from here. They never get a chance to overcome their issues, so instead they allow their individual demises take full control of the outcome of their marriage; they resort in living the tainted American dream. Despite the 1920s being a time full of celebration, their celebrations become lonely escapes and disgusting habits (particularly Anthony, who's now an alcoholic.) By the end of the novel they both become completely lost and unfulfilled, allowing themselves to lose all of their beauty and youth they tried so hard to preserve.

What's up with the title?

The Beautiful and Damned is a pretty self-explanatory title when you think of the outcome of the Patch relationship. Both Patch's are described as very beautiful beings, entirelyconvinced that their attractiveness is their leverage. They're both damned as well, because their attractiveness fuels their overconfidence and unbearing selfish attitude that their decline becomes absolutely unbearable. In Book Two and Book Three, their marriage has essentially died because of their inability to hold a sense of responsibility in the demands of commitment. And when they undergo a financial struggle that greatly stresses on their marriage, they get absolutely nasty with each other - constantly fighting, arguing, drinking, and cheating - their relationship is just bottom-line doomed.

Narrator Point of View

Even though the narration is in third-person, a good majority of the narration explains the thoughts and actions of Anthony Patch and Gloria Patch, giving the narration a slightly biased and empathetic view for their feelings and actions, even towards certain people. This narration is also greatly influenced by the anticipated decline of the Fitzgerald's marriage, so given that the characters are pretty much parallel to F. Scott and Zelda - it makes sense for the narration to not be entirely removed. But, towards the end of the novel a lot of the views of these characters are often criticized, which can only show that F. Scott truly reflected all of his issues at home.

Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

Fitzgerald is known for incorporating colors into his works to symbolize certain ideas. A recurring color throughout the novel happened to be the color gray. Gray was never one idea throughout the novel though; it meant many things. One of these idas happen to be the idea of compromise, in which both Anthony and Gloria compromise on the outcome of their marriage and allow themselves to dwell in their inevitable doom and tragic flaws. Another idea happens to be "the end" or death, whereas gray became the haunting color that foreshadowed their loss of bright youth. Gray also symbolized boredom and isolation, where the Patch's were never fulfilled in remotely anything and greatly resented the loneliness they felt as their marriage continued, especially when it came to their gray house - this house would become a regretful purchase  because of the isolation that came with in living in the country over a period of summers.

Genre

A Modernist novel, The Beautiful and Damned exploits the damage of the Roaring Twenties. It challenges social norms such as religion, marriage, and the role of women in society, as well as shedding light on the dangers of alcoholism and depression. Even though it's a work of fiction, the novel is greatly influenced by the marriage of the Fitzgerald's.