An Analysis of the Flappers' Identity Crisis inScott Fitzgerald's "The Ice Palace"

“The Ice Palace” is from the first collection of short stories by American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, titled Flappers and Philosophers. The story portrays that the flapper, Sally Carrol, faces the sharp cultural contrasts between the North and South and her identity crisis has occurred. As Sally becomes aware of the stagnation and survival challenges in the post-war South, she chooses to escape her Southern home and go to the developed North. However, during her journey to the North, Sally’s cultural identity is gradually challenged by the traumatic memories of the Civil War, the eerie atmosphere of the Northern “ice palace”, and the complexities of female freedom and constraint. Ultimately, Sally decides to flee the North and return to the South. This article analyzes the identity crisis of Sally Carrol in “The Ice Palace” based on the theory of identity crisis in the stages of personality development. It explores the significant impact of identity crisis on the personality development of the flapper, aiming to uncover the risks of identity crisis in personality development and emphasize the importance of promoting healthy personality development.

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