Two torn pale fabric pieces are pinned apart beside a reel of red thread.

Original artwork, not a still

The Crack-Up

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Family quarrels are bitter things. They don't go according to any rules. They're not like aches or wounds; they're more like splits in the skin that won't heal because there's not enough material.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Fitzgerald says family fights are nasty and rule-free, and they aren't like ordinary injuries. They're like skin that's split and can't close because there isn't enough material to cover the gap, a vivid image of a hurt that lacks what it needs to heal.

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