The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

I started Christmas shopping early this year, in hopes of avoiding the crazy crowds of last minute shoppers. Combing the book tables at Indigo, I stumbled upon this small black book, quaintly titled: “The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.” Examining the front cover illustration by Calef Brown, I immediately assumed this book was for kids. However, upon reading the introduction I realized that it was far from a simple children's tale. Written by F.Scott Fitzgerald (who also wrote the Great Gatsby), this book takes readers on a short adventure filled with despair, frustration, and downright absurdity.

Challenging are everyday morality, Benjamin Button is born into the world as an old man instead of a baby. Given that it's not the norm for a woman to give birth to an old man, Benjamin is immediately rejected by his father. Capturing his father’s heartbreak, Fitzgerald provides a glimpse into the disappointment Mr.Button must deal with for the rest of his life.

As dire as the situation is, Fitzgerald also gives the story a comical twist, detailing the idiotic things Mr. Button does to make his son more "baby like." He gives Benjamin toys to play with, makes him sit with other babies and makes him drink baby milk. Although the situation is quite humiliating for Benjamin and his parents, the family is able to maintain a stable relationship with the rest of the townspeople.

After reading the first few pages, I was worried that the story would go downhill. But Fitzgerald doesn’t disappoint. Every chapter provides a glimpse of Benjamin’s absurd but amusing life. The further I read, the younger Benjamin becomes. When he reaches the age of 50, he begins to be more compatible with his father. He then marries a young spritly women, who temporarily capitivates and entices him. However, he soon outgrows her. To the despair of his middle age wife, Benjamin transforms into a strapping young lad, hot to trot around town with the young debutantes.

Sadly, the story begins to spiral downwards as Benjamin continues to become younger, even younger than his own son Roscoe. Like his own father did, Roscoe rejects Benjamin, giving him no room to exercise control over his life. In the closing chapters, Benjamin sinks into the state of babyhood, and is finally confined to a crib with only a nanny to comfort him.

My rough outline is a mere glimpse into Fitzgerald’s brilliant and endearing story. To get the full affect, I recommend that you take an hour (literally, its that easy to read) out of your day to read the tale of Benjamin Button.

To me, the moral of the story is that age doesn't matter. It shouldn’t prevent you from going after what you want in life. You often find people complaining about getting older, but Fitzgerald points out that growing younger (as Benjamin did) is just as hard as growing old.

So be content, no matter what age you are, and just get out there and do it!

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has been adapted into a major motion picture and will hit the big screen next month.