Some of us are born rebellious. Reading the story of Zelda Fitzgerald by Nancy Milford, I identified with her mutinous spirit. I remember passing shopwindows with my mother and asking why people didn't just kick them in. She explained that there were unspoken rules of social behavior, and that's the way we coexist as people. I felt instantly confined by the notion that we are born into a world where everything was mapped out by those before us. I struggled to suppress destructive impulses and worked instead on creative ones. Still, the small rule-hating self within me did not die.
The essence of rebellion is ingrained in some individuals, as illustrated in Nancy Milford's portrayal of Zelda Fitzgerald. The narrator relates to Zelda's defiance, reflecting on childhood experiences where curiosity clashed with societal norms. A conversation with her mother about the constraints of social behavior reveals a struggle against the limitations imposed by society, creating a sense of confinement within established conventions.
This struggle prompted a shift towards creativity as a...
