Imagination is essential for every human being- it has the potential to create, and at times it proves to be bliss when one wants to break free from monotony. But dwelling in the world of imagination gives birth to another world-fantasy. Fantasy may seem a panacea to struggles and dullness; but its consequences prove fatal. This is true of many characters in the fiction of Scott.F.Fitzgerald. The protagonist of Tender Is the Night is an apt example. The paper focuses on Dick Diver, the central character, who falls a prey to his own persona. Key Words: Dick Diver, persona, mask, Jung, repress Introduction All the world’s a stage and men and women are mere players is a meaningful statement by the greatest playwright of all times-William Shakespeare. It is …show more content…
His affair with Rosemary Hoyt ruins his marriage life. In the beginning, he tries to show off his good self by rejecting Rosemary’s advances. He tells her that she is only a child and tries to exhibit fatherly love towards her. But his true sexual desires overpower him; and his mask begins to tear off, revealing his vulnerabilities. It is in this third part of the novel, when he deteriorates morally, psychologically and socially, does he begin to realize that his identity is heavily dependent on the financial affluence of his wife-patient Nicole. When she provides money to set up a clinic, for the first time, a dawn of realization comes on him. He realizes that it is not his money but Nicole’s. His affair with Rosemary gradually brings out his true self which he has repressed so far in the garb of his persona. Ultimately it becomes too late to mend his persona-mask because Nicole walks out of marriage. Meanwhile, he becomes an alcoholic, is thrown in prison, shouts at the guards, resorts to violence in beating up a taxi driver and tarnishes his reputation. He also loses his license as a