After Rosalind breaks his heart (and his engagement), Amory Blaine spirals into some pretty serious drunkity-drunk-drunk shenanigans. The only thing that saves him from liver failure is Prohibition.
Now, you'd think that Amory's life would get better once he dried out and became healthier… but that's not the case at all. It turns out that Amory's alcoholism is just a symptom of a deeper problem. And it's Amory's preoccupation with the problems he drowns in alcohol that Fitzgerald mulls over in This Side of Paradise.
Questions About Alcohol and Drugs
- How does Amory tend to act when he's drunk? Do you think drinking makes his pain even worse, or is he going to be in pain no matter what he does?
- Why does Amory stop drinking do much? How does his life change afterward?
- Do you think Amory is weak for turning to alcohol in his despair, or is it possible to sympathize with him? Why?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
In This Side of Paradise, we learn that turning to alcohol will only make our problems worse.
In This Side of Paradise, we see that alcohol is usually just a symptom (and not the cause) of a deeper problem.