The Cut-glass Bowl

Book excerpt: On the face of it, Evelyn Piper has it all: a loving husband, a devoted daughter, and a secure lifestyle. However, she is also the owner of a cut-glass bowl given to her in anger by a rejected suitor. This bowl seems to act as the connecting thread between all the tragedies that befall Evelyn and her family. With the deft use of symbolism, Fitzgerald creates a short story that encourages the reader to reflect on their own lives, material wealth, and past regrets. An introspective read for fans of the author of ‘The Great Gatsby.’ F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) is one of the greatest American novelists of the 20th century and the author of the classics ‘Tender is the Night’ and ‘The Great Gatsby’, with the latter having been made into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan. Skillfully capturing the prosperity of post-World War One America, his writing helped illustrate the 1920s Jazz Age that he and his wife Zelda Fitzgerald were at the centre of.