Alcoholic Insanity Permeates Fitzgerald’s "The Beautiful & Damned"

            I love the doomed portrayal of the reckless alcoholic downfall of Anthony Patch in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful & Damned.  In my opinion, Fitzgerald’s knack for turning an exquisite lyrical phrase and his keen eye for social observation are incredible. His stylistic expertise makes for a more beautiful and challenging read when compared to some of today’s mainstream tabloid flavor of the month authors looking to turn a quick buck and capitalize on some free publicity.  You truly feel like you’ve learned something upon finishing TB&D.   

Soaking in the drama as you read, you feel you’re getting smarter page by page.  The story’s conclusion is no let down either.  It’s absolutely hardcore, building to a monstrous climax, while spanning an entire rainbow of emotions all the while.  Part of me was sorry when the book ended.  If anybody out there is thinking about becoming an alcoholic, reading TB&D might change your mind. 

Chaoscott

Lazy Anthony Patch and his flighty wife Gloria live the high life, at the beginning of the novel, with no financial worries, partying every night, pouring numerous highballs down their throats, all in the company of their A-list friends.  After all, they have Anthony’s grandfather, Adam Patch, and his millions, to fall back on.  Fooling themselves without a care, Anthony and Gloria bank their future on Adam’s inheritance and continue on with their carefree way of life.  As the overblown and unnecessary parties gradually continue to turn into embarrassing drunken fiascoes, Adam Patch, disappointed with Anthony’s lack of ambition, decides for the most part to cut him out of his substantial will.

As their funds continue to deplete, Anthony and Gloria engage in a myriad of loud intense arguments.  Were the story to take place today you’d think the couple would have divorced on numerous occasions.  The couple’s simultaneous great passion and scorn for each other makes their downfall all the more destructive.  Fitzgerald does a masterful job of depicting the roller coaster ups and downs of the Patches relationship and his dialogue is so spot on it’s scary.

At its heart TB&D is a comment on entitlement, as Anthony mistakenly feels he was born with the innate right to live life without having to lift a finger to earn a legitimate living.  He always talks about becoming a writer but never really seems to follow through on any of his ideas.  His grandfather even suggests he become a war correspondent, a suggestion Anthony basically brushes off without much consideration.  Similarly, Gloria somehow thinks a future acting in motion pictures is going to magically materialize at her feet.  She soon realizes nothing could be further from the truth.

TB&D is a perfectly drawn portrait of the downfall of one of high society’s most privileged couples.  In the end, Anthony winds up punched out and bleeding in the gutter before going completely insane.  Of course Fitzgerald wouldn’t have it any other way.  TB&D may not include any cell phones or i-pads, nevertheless Anthony Patch’s final devastation is no less powerful than anything today’s 21^st century computerized machines could devise.