A Night at the Fair

Name: A Night at the Fair
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Basil Duke Lee, a fifteen-year-old boy from St. Paul, spends a September day at the State Fair with his longtime friend Riply Buckner, Jr., whose recent graduation into long trousers has strained their friendship, since Basil is still deemed too small for them. After watching the wild brewer's son Speed Paxton drive off with a girl, Basil and Riply run into Elwood Leaming, a more worldly boy, who proposes they pick up girls at the fair. They fall in with two young girls; Elwood and Riply pair off successfully, but Basil, still humiliated as "little boy" because of his short pants, is left out and jealous when Riply links arms with his girl in the Old Mill tunnel ride. Basil declares he must go home and leaves the others to ride again without him. The next morning, obsessed with the idea of long trousers, Basil insists to his mother that he cannot go away to school without them, and she agrees to buy him two suits at Barton Leigh's. Riply calls to arrange a second outing that evening, promising Basil the "even nicer" younger sister of Elwood's girl. Basil vaults the hydrant near the Van Schellinger mansion and is invited by Gladys Van Schellinger to sit in her family's box for the fireworks, but he declines in order to keep his date at the fair. Waiting anxiously all afternoon for his new suit to be delivered, he grows desperate when the store closes before it arrives; only at the last minute, as the boys arrive to collect him, does the delivery wagon appear, and he dresses hastily. At the fair that night, Basil discovers the promised girl, Olive's sister, is unattractive, and Riply's girl, Olive, wavers because she has another "date" with a boy she met that afternoon. The group rides the Ferris wheel together; Basil, resigned to his unappealing companion, nonetheless puts his arm around her and kisses her cheek. Afterward, Olive's other admirer appears — the charming, acrobatic Hubert Blair, twirling a cane and clearly destined to draw Olive away from Riply. Seizing the moment, Basil slips away unnoticed through a tent wall, escaping the group entirely. Now alone and proud in his long trousers, Basil buys a bleacher seat for the fireworks and is invited by Gladys to join the Van Schellinger box, where he is welcomed by her parents and introduced as "Alice Riley's boy." Riply's aunt, seated nearby, remarks on what a nice boy Riply is. During the Battle of Gettysburg fireworks display, a ridiculous procession passes below: Hubert Blair and Olive at the head, followed by Elwood and his girl, and finally Riply and Basil's discarded girl, all behaving boisterously. The Van Schellinger party watches with disapproval, and a lady comments that Riply's mother will hear of this. Basil feels a surge of virtuous satisfaction at having escaped that fate, though he does make a token effort to ask Riply's aunt not to tell Riply's mother, which she rebuffs. Riding home afterward beside Gladys in the Van Schellinger limousine, Basil feels a warm connection with her over their shared prospect of going away to school. As the car reaches his house, Gladys leans close and asks him, when he comes to visit her the next day, to bring Hubert Blair. Basil is left standing outside, watching the car depart and turn the corner.

By F. Scott Fitzgerald · First published 1922 · Genre: Coming-of-Age, Literary Fiction, Social Commentary · 7,294 words

First lines

The two cities were separated only by a thin well-bridged river; their tails curling over the banks met and mingled, and at the juncture, under the jealous eye of each, lay, every fall, the State Fair. Because of this advantageous position, and because of the agricultural eminence of the state, the fair was one of the most magnificent in America. There were immense exhibits of grain, livestock and farming machinery; there were horse races and automobile races and, lately, aeroplanes that really left the ground; there was a tumultuous Midway with Coney Island thrillers to whirl you through space, and a whining, tinkling hoochie-coochie show. As a compromise between the serious and the trivial, a grand exhibition of fireworks, culminating in a representation of the Battle of Gettysburg, took place in the Grand Concourse every night.

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A Night at the Fair is listed on Textopian as a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, dated 1922 CE.

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Work type: Short story
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Date: 1922 CE
Language: English
Genres: Coming-of-Age, Literary Fiction, Social Commentary, Realism, Short Story
Length: 7,294 words
Structure: 1 section, 185 paragraphs
Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)

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Discussion starters

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Similar titles

Genres

Coming-of-Age — The narrative centers on the transition from childhood to adolescence, exploring themes of maturity, identity, and social dynamics among young boys.
Literary Fiction — The work employs a rich, descriptive style and delves into complex character development and emotional depth, characteristic of literary fiction.
Social Commentary — The story critiques societal expectations and norms regarding youth, gender roles, and the pressures of growing up.
Realism — The depiction of everyday life, social interactions, and the setting of a state fair reflects realistic portrayals of American life in the early 20th century.