Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This book is quite an interesting read, yet still disappointingly short. It could have been developed into a very satisfying novel, because the story idea is quite captivating.

The story is humorous because it’s completely different and unusual compared to real life, because people don’t age backwards.  When Mr. Button went into the hospital and was asking people about his baby, it was funny because everyone he asked about his child had a terrified look on their faces, and each next person he talked to made him more and more anxious about his baby.  What was funnier, when he eventually got to see his baby, it turned out to be an old man.

Another thing I found funny was the fact that Roger Button was so in denial of the fact that his ‘child’ was not a baby, even to the point of asking a store clerk whether “the paint would come off the pink duck if the baby put it in his mouth”.

What was also ironic about Benjamin marrying a younger woman was that in actuality they were both the same age yet it looked like he was 50.

What was also funny was how the story showed how short people’s memories are – it’s ironic because, at first people were sad for the girl being married to a man of 50.  But as Benjamin’s age “decreased”, people were then sad for him being married to a woman of 50 (although in actuality they were the same age)!  They couldn’t even remember that a while ago, they were saying the exact opposite thing!

Also, as Benjamin got “younger” he didn’t like his wife Hildegard anymore because she got older, and as she got older Benjamin didn’t find her beautiful anymore.  Benjamin married Hildegard for her good looks, and Hildegard married Benjamin for his stability, and what happened was that Hildegard lost her good looks and Benjamin lost his stability, so their relationship didn’t work anymore.  Basically, as he got younger, she got older.

Read the book online here (just to let you know, there’s a few typos).

Tags: books, curious case of benjamin button, F. Scott Fitzgerald, novel, review, short, story