The Ice Palace
Encyclopedia
The Ice Palace is a modernist short story
written by F. Scott Fitzgerald
and published in The Saturday Evening Post
, 22 May 1920. It is one of eight short stories originally published in Fitzgerald's first collection, Flappers and Philosophers
(New York
: Charles Scribner's Sons
, 1920), and is also included in the collection Babylon Revisited and Other Stories
(New York
: Charles Scribner's Sons
, 1960).
The story is about Sally Carrol Happer, a young southern woman from the fictional city of Tarleton, Georgia
, who is bored with her unchanging environment. Her local friends are dismayed to learn she is engaged to Harry Bellamy, a man from an unspecified northern town. She brushes off their concerns, alluding to her need for something more in her life, a need to see "things happen on a big scale."
Sally Carrol travels to the north, during the winter, to visit Harry's home town and meet Harry's family. The winter weather underscores her growing disillusion with the decision to move north, until her moment of epiphany in the town's local "Ice Palace." In the end, Sally Carrol returns home.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
written by F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
and published in The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
, 22 May 1920. It is one of eight short stories originally published in Fitzgerald's first collection, Flappers and Philosophers
Flappers and Philosophers
Flappers and Philosophers was the first collection of short stories written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1920. It includes eight stories:* "The Offshore Pirate"* "The Ice Palace"* "Head and Shoulders"* "The Cut-Glass Bowl"...
(New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
: Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
, 1920), and is also included in the collection Babylon Revisited and Other Stories
Babylon Revisited and Other Stories
Babylon Revisited and Other Stories is a collection of ten short stories written between 1920 and 1937 by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was published in 1960.-Selection:...
(New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
: Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
, 1960).
The story is about Sally Carrol Happer, a young southern woman from the fictional city of Tarleton, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, who is bored with her unchanging environment. Her local friends are dismayed to learn she is engaged to Harry Bellamy, a man from an unspecified northern town. She brushes off their concerns, alluding to her need for something more in her life, a need to see "things happen on a big scale."
Sally Carrol travels to the north, during the winter, to visit Harry's home town and meet Harry's family. The winter weather underscores her growing disillusion with the decision to move north, until her moment of epiphany in the town's local "Ice Palace." In the end, Sally Carrol returns home.