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Analysis- Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald: Writing About Abuse

*This post contains spoilers for the entire novel as well as description and discussion of spousal physical and emotional abuse*

I had known before reading Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald that Zelda and Scott’s personal life was, at times, strained. This is evident in probably his most famous work: The Great Gatsby. In which, readers can see many parallels between their lives and the lives of the characters in the story. However, I didn’t know that their relationship was so significantly flawed and unhealthy.

As I discussed in my review, I’ve tried to keep a reasonable mind when discussing this book, because at the end of the day it is a work of historical fiction. For that reason, I will be discussing this topic using the names of the characters for clarity. But the purpose of this post is to discuss only the elements of the writing that Therese Anne Fowler used to paint such a vivid picture of the black hole that is spousal abuse.

I noticed that Fowler was very careful not to stop at just one type of abuse, but to give a full spectrum view of what a terrible relationship looks like.

One of the most obvious signs of spousal abuse is, of course, physical violence. The first instance of physical violence in Zelda’s story is on page 118 when Zelda and Scott get into an argument after a disastrous dinner with Zelda’s parents. Here is the quote from the novel:

“He drank too much after dinner, and when my parents had gone to bed, we ended up in a truly ugly fight- and I ended up with a black eye.”

That is the whole description of the event. It isn’t expanded upon or thought over by the Zelda. It is simply pushed aside as if it Zelda receiving a black eye is something trivial, like a plate being accidentally broken. We don’t even find out by what means Zelda gets the black eye. The narrator is deliberately choosing to gloss over the event, acting like the behavior exhibited by Scott is nothing to be concerned over. I think it is also worth noting that this event occurs more towards the beginning of their relationship, where couples are often still in their “honeymoon” phase and rose-colored glasses are usually permanent fixtures. The next line then supports this, where Zelda says that she thinks she deserved it. Zelda even takes the time to calm her parents who are, of course, horrified when they see her in the morning.

The next example I have is on page 139, where Zelda and Scott are discussing their money troubles and Zelda wants him to return a very expensive coat he bought for her.

“I was confused. ‘Max and Harold lend you money?’

‘Against royalties, or future earning- it’s all money I’m going to get eventually, just, eventually doesn’t always arrive as quickly as I need it to.’

I went to the closet, pulled the coat from its hanger, and shoved it at him. ‘Send it back!’

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ He plopped down on the sofa. ‘You look fantastic in this coat. In fact, I think you should take off everything you’re wearing and then put the coat on.’ His eyelids were dropping as he said this, and then they closed.

I watched him for a moment, thinking he’d fallen asleep. Then, without opening his eyes he said, ‘Don’t hate me. I’m sorry. It’s all for you.’”

In this scene, Fowler shows us a more subtle approach in spousal abuse; one that doesn’t occur with a single punch but rather a difficult relationship that occurs over a long period of time. Where instead of physical violence, the victim’s concerns are trivialized and then turned back upon them. Zelda has negative feelings towards Scott buying her such an expensive coat when he doesn’t possess the money to pay for it. But when she expresses this, he waves it off then makes a sexual suggestion to alter the subject at hand. He then twists the blame off of himself and onto her by saying that what he does, he does for her; that her simply being in his life is the source of his poor handling of money. During this exchange, Scott is also falling asleep from being drunk which, naturally, ends the conversation on its own. Eliminating any opportunity to actually discuss the uncomfortable problem at hand.

A similar situation happens when they are discussing baby names on page 143, just after Zelda has given birth. They had already agreed on naming the baby girl Patricia but Scott now wants to name the baby Frances, with the nickname Scottie.

“I knew, though, that Scott would replay this scene with everyone he encountered, and that they’d all see it his way. No one would disagree with the charismatic hometown hero. Even so, I would stubbornly continue to assert my preference for weeks, they way you do when you allow hope to prevail over knowledge, and in the end, I would grow tired of the battle, and Scott would win.”

This is a great example of how helpless and outnumbered Zelda feels in her relationship. And how an abuser can rip the figurative carpet out from under their victim and still act as though nothing has happened. Zelda continues to stand her ground on the issue, but the emotional toll it takes eventually become too much to bear, especially when she is put in such an isolating position. Eventually, it just becomes easier to go along with it. Scott has proven himself to be an expert at wearing down Zelda’s resolve, through the erosion of her entire support system and identity as an individual.

This is supported when Scott refuses to let Zelda pursue her career as a ballerina on page 284.

“I’m tired of this, Zelda. You’re not a ballerina you know; you’re my wife. You need to start devoting your time to your actual duties.”

This one hardly needs further explanation.

Another example is on page 275, while Zelda and Scott are staying at a mansion in Delaware. Zelda knows that Scott fancies a young woman that is staying at the mansion and that he is cheating on her with this young lady.

“Lois wears gingham and acts the innocent, as if the floorboards outside her bedroom don’t creak mere minutes after I wake in the night to an empty bed.”

Here Zelda is more direct with her descriptive than in prior portions of the novel but is still leaving the reader with a message that they need to decipher themselves. It is heavily implied that Scott is leaving their bedroom and joining Lois, but it isn’t directly spelled out, another instance of Zelda trying to tip-tow around a situation that is too painful to address head-on.

The same thing happens on an even larger scale just further down the page and is, in my opinion, one of the most impactful parts of the whole story.

“In winter, he’ll [Scott] attempt to give a speech at Princeton, but will appear at the podium drunk and mute; he’ll arrive home- where his sister-in-law Tootsie is visiting – still crying tears of mortification, then fight with his wife about her breaking the liquor cabinet’s lock, and bloody her nose in the process.”

This whole scenario being told in the third person significantly adds to that effect of separation and makes the scene more powerful. I think it was a conscious decision by Fowler to not use Scott’s name in the scenes further into their relationship in order to magnify this disconnection effect. It is in contrast to the beginning of the relationship where the speaker does include his name for these encounters. By saying “… and bloody her nose…” not “…and I ended up with a black eye.” it makes the scene feel like it is happening to someone else. When I was reading it I almost missed the fact that he hits her (now the second known occurrence) because it is said so matter-of-factly and without ceremony. I had to go back and re-read the passage to make sure I saw it right. Upon doing so, I realized that the whole passage is very haunting. It reads almost how I would image a fortuneteller reads a prediction: chronological, systematic, and disengaged.

The final scene that I think perfectly encapsulates the extent of the abuse endured by Zelda is on page 312. During this scene, Zelda has been offered a position in a ballet company in Naples. Scott forbids her from pursuing it.

“Scott pointed at himself. ‘I am in charge of this family, Zelda. If not for my blood, my sweat, my – my- my determination, you’d be nobody special, just another aging debutante wasting away the years somewhere in Alabama, getting fat off of biscuits and preserves. It’s my life that made yours worthwhile! And yet all I get is selfish ingratitude.’”

In this one statement, Scott manages to reveal with his own words what he truly thinks of Zelda, that without him, she is nothing. That he saved her from a worthless life. That she needs to be grateful to him for it. That even though he has taken complete control over her life Scott is the one that has actually sacrificed everything. She was nothing special when he met her and whatever he complimented her with then was a façade.

It is also worth discussing that Zelda is a very fit individual because of her dedication to ballet; not because Scott’s career is of any help to her physical fitness. It is not as if her marriage to Scott allowed her to dedicate more time to ballet, she could’ve continued to pursue it while living in Alabama. He chooses to take credit for her fitness and what makes her desirable. I also believe that at this point in his life, Scott is no longer physically fit. His years of drinking and lack of exercise have caught up to him and I don’t think it is a stretch that in this scene he is projecting his insecurity onto her.

It’s all such twisted things to say to someone you are supposed to love. It reveals so much to the reader in such a short period and is enough to convince even some of the more difficult to persuade readers that Scott is a deplorable husband.

As a reader, I had a physical response to this scene. It repulsed me so severely and simultaneously made me feel such sympathy for the character of Zelda. It is difficult for people that have not been in such a relationship to relate to the situation at hand. But scenes like this one allow people to get an idea of the agony of watching someone who was supposed to be an ally turn into your worst enemy and not being able to change anything about it. Fowler’s writing forced me to pause and take a moment to comprehend the magnitude of what had just been said and could not be unsaid.

Final Thoughts | These are just a few examples that stood out to me in the novel. There are many more in the story that are just as important and impactful. Fowler did a great job of providing readers with such a vivid account of abuse in a marriage. If you haven’t read the novel I definitely suggest picking it up for an atmospheric and addicting story of Zelda’s life. Fowler’s account of these two characters shows readers what kind of entangled web spousal abuse can turn into and how it begins to seep into every facet of someone’s life until there is nothing left.

#writing analysis #zelda fitzgerald #therese anne fowler #fiction #historical fiction

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