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Characteristics Of The Beautiful Little Fool

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Beautiful Little Fool
The Presentation of Intelligence and Appearance of Women in 20th Century American Literature

Edith Wharton (1905), House of Mirth
Theodore Drieser (1900), Sister Carrie
F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925), The Great Gatsby

Introduction
In one of the most iconic lines of all time, Daisy Fay, in reference to her young daughter, advocates a particular mould for the 20th Century American debutante: “I hope she'll be a fool — that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”
The word “fool” has two paradoxical definitions: as a noun, “a person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a silly person”, and as a verb, to “trick or deceive (someone); dupe”. This essay examines the multifaceted nature of the beautiful fool in three case studies: Lily in The House of Mirth (HM), Carrie in Sister Carrie (SC), and Daisy in The Great Gatsby (GG). All three women are referred to as “foolish” in terms of superficiality and error of judgment, but as they also display resourcefulness in fooling men for social advancement through romance.
I cover three dimensions of the beautiful fool: her allure for men, her manipulation of them, and the impact of this on her happiness. The Allure of the Fool
The beautiful fool is highly alluring to men as she appeals to the traditional male …show more content…

Given, Drouet is innately “good-natured”, but while he would have only “handed out what was considered the proper portion to give beggars and thought no more about it”, the extent of assistance he offers Carrie demonstrates the impact of the beautiful fool on male judgment. Drouet instinctively takes charge of Carrie, evident by repetition of the strong, active pronoun (“I’ll tell you… I’ll take care...”). The “childlike” Carrie thus unwittingly endears herself through “helpless[ness]” and “unwisdom” by evoking the male protective

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