# Jeffrey Curtain — Short Fiction character guide

> Jeffrey Curtain in Short Fiction by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Jeff, Jeffrey Curtains, Mr. Jeffrey Curtain, Jeffrey, The Jeffrey Curtains, Mr. Curtain

**First appearance:** 0200-magnetism

## Snapshot

A wealthy man whose long, silent illness turns his marriage into a vigil, leaving his wife Roxanne bound to a love that outlasts the person she married.

## Who they are

Jeffrey Curtain lies suspended between life and death for eleven years, tended by a wife whose devotion has outlived her love for the man himself. Roxanne feeds tramps and buys cheap steak while keeping her heart sealed in the mummy in the next room, refusing every suitor who comes in hope and leaves in reverence. His eventual death in May frees her into a world she has almost forgotten, and the story's early arc turns on what that long fidelity has cost her.

## In the story

### [The Lees of Happiness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/the-lees-of-happiness)

Central character in the story, whose paralysis and marriage to Roxanne highlight themes of love and loss.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/i)

A writer whose stories disappeared around 1908; married to Roxanne; playful and jealous; hosts Harry Cromwell.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/ii)

Jeffrey experiences a sudden violent outburst at a poker party when Roxanne touches his shoulder, later revealed to be caused by a blood clot in his brain.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/iii)

Jeffrey is ill and bedridden, requiring constant care from Roxanne.

### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/iv)

Lies paralyzed upstairs; the nerve specialist's consultation offers no hope for recovery.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/v)

Lies paralyzed, blind, and unconscious for eleven years, his condition slowly worsening until his death.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/vi)

Deceased husband of Roxanne, remembered through memories and the ongoing care of his paralyzed state before death.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/iv)

The narrator and friend of Dolly; he observes the romance and receives Dolly's letter about the broken ankle.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/chapters/v)

The narrator and witness to the conflict between Dolly and Vienna; observes Dolly's practice and the Yale game from the stands.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/characters/jeffrey_curtain
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_16_se/characters