The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Pub. Date: 1921
Genre: Fiction - Short Story
64pp

Synopsis from BN.com:
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Why I Picked It:
I almost never go to the movies, but seeing as this is merely a short story, I decided to read it a few weeks ago to hold me over until I could rent it. (The movie strikes me as a "rental" anyway...) And I do love me some F. Scott Fitzgerald!!

My Review:
Aging backward is such an interesting concept. This is a sometimes humorous, but to me, mostly just a sad exploration of the idea. I'm annoyed at how Benjamin's family refuses to understand his affliction. First his father persists in bringing his 70-year-old "baby" children's toys when very clearly, he is not a baby. "It was all part of Roger Button's silent agreement with himself to believe in his son's normality." Then, as he ages - well, un-ages? - this same opinion is placed upon Benjamin by his own son, Roscoe, now embarrassed that his Father appears to be a mere teenager, "His eyes narrowed and he looked uneasily at his father. 'As a matter of fact,' he added, 'you'd better not go on with this business much longer. You better pull up short. You better--you better' -- he paused and his face crimsoned as he sought for words -- 'you better turn right around and start back the other way. This has gone too far to be a joke. It isn't funny any longer. You--you behave yourself!'"

It's a quick read, and I feel sad as he slides backwards in age, forgetting the amazing accomplishments and adventures of his life, the successes even with such a strange beginning. Benjamin inevitably becomes a child fascinated with preschool crafts, then slips away into infancy and then is gone.

But, I still struggle with this. How could a woman give birth to a full grown 70-year-old man without anyone noticing anything strange about her pregnancy?? Alas, 'tis just a story.