Tender is the Night Themes

Love blooms in Tender is the Night in glamorous late night parties, lush gardens, and even psychiatric clinics, all set against a landscape broken apart by World War I. The characters chase love de...

Innocence is extreme in Tender is the Night, a story where phrases like "lost innocence" and "the end of innocence" strongly apply. On the other hand, even the most jaded characters hold out a litt...

Literal madness pervades Tender is the Night, and the minds of the characters are held out for us to analyze. Not surprisingly, the deeper we get into the story, the harder it is to sort out the ma...

The extremes of ambition are explored in Tender is the Night. All the characters are fiercely driven, some to escape treacherous, maddening pasts, others to reach the tops of the glamorous professi...

Appearances both mask and reveal the characters in Tender is the Night. Inner poverty is often covered over by a veil of wealth and privilege. And sometimes a rough and jaded exterior gives way to...

Tender is the Night presents a host of beautiful, desperate, and even monstrous transformations. It weaves intricate patterns of the rise and fall of the hearts and lives of some very complicated p...

Time is controversial in Tender is the Night – so controversial that F. Scott Fitzgerald made notes to put it in chronological order after its publication. The novel’s sharp jumps back...

Most of the characters in Tender is the Night are Americans. Against the lush beauty of the most fashionable and exotic European locations, they pursue the extremes of desire and ambition. Yet, som...