Bill’s apartment

Fitzgerald describes Bill’s apartment as “a great bright studio apartment with a ten-foot divan” (437). The only other detail provided is that the apartment is on forty-sixth street, which places it in a fashionable Manhattan neighborhood. In the first section of the story, the narrative action hinges on Emmy’s decision to go up to Bill’s apartment with him in the middle of the day for a drink. Emmy wants Bill to give her a part in his new play, and Bill presumably wants to seduce Emmy. The apartment, in this scene, not only functions as a symbol of Bill’s power over Emmy, but also represents the sexual politics between Bill and his fiancée Irene Rikker. Finally, the apartment’s location and glamorous decoration serve to characterize Bill as someone attuned and attentive to the outward appearances of success.

Atlantic City

Atlantic City...