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Born as Age 70
When he enters the "crying room" to find his newborn baby, Mr. Button finds an old. grumpy 70-year-old "baby" lying in one of the cribs. It's shocking how Benjamin Button is born not only with the appearance of a 70-year-old, but also he is born with all the other factors, including the experiences and the tone. He is grumpy, yet he manages to have a "demanding" tone. When he sees Mr. Button, who is totally taken aback by this old man, his first words are very bold: "Are you my father?" (63) -
Age 65!
Benjamin is now a 5-year-old boy and he is sent to kindergarten. However, he falls asleeps constantly during class, and the alarmed teacher's report to his parents leads up to him getting pulled out of kindergarten, with the excuse that he was just too young. Benjamin was "inclined to drowse off to sleep in the middle of these tasks, which both irritated and frightened his young teacher," until he stopped going to kindergarten. (68) -
Age 58!
At age 12, Benjamin now realizes that he is getting younger, and he also sees that he is physically big enough for "trousers." It's surprising that he is getting younger, and he is astonished, yet seemingly excited. To share the news, he "went to his father. 'I am grown,' he announced determinedly. 'I want to put on long trousers.'" (68) -
Age 52!
18 years old, Benjamin now looks like a man of fifty, and Mr. Button takes him to Yale College for admission. He is finally ready to do what he wants with his bizarre life, but having run out of hair dye that day, he is rejected by Yale. This event strikes me as a humiliating experience for Benjamin, because he is treated like a lunatic. The college registrar said "Get out...Get out of college and get out of town. You are a dangerous lunatic." (70) -
Age 50!
Benjamin Button is 20 yearts old. He is mistaken for his dad's brother, but he starts working for the Roger Button & Co., Wholesale Hardware. Also, at a county house dance, he falls in love with Hildegarde Moncrief on first sight. I think this is where Benjamin takes his big step for his own family. When he sees Hildegarde for the first time, he says "Dad, you might introduce me to her." (72) -
Age 35
At this point, Benjamin's appearance and age matches perfectly for once. His dad retired from his job at the company, and their family fortune had doubled. He grew younger day by day, but unfortunately, his relationship with his family took its first step to collapsing. "His wife had ceased to attract him." Also, he felt like "it seemed...the blood flowed with new vigor through his veins." (75) -
Age 32!
Benjamin button decides to join the army, since his home wasn't providing much comfort either. As he becomes younger, his maturity level comes down along, and the impulsivity rate shoots up. He is made higher rankings of the army until he has to come back for his company. Also, he faces disappointment as he sees his wife again. Their relationship isn't getting any better. Hildegarde says, "You're simply stubborn. You think you don't want to be like anyone else." (77) -
Age 24!
Benjamin Button is 46 years old with an appearance of mid twenties. He follows his path of dispute with his wife, while finding other interests he could spend time on. He played golf, and for couple years, he danced. Now, Benjamin Button totally enjoys his life with his young appearance. "There was only one fly in the delicious ointment--he hated to appear in public with his wife." (78) -
Age 20!
Benjamin Button has lived 50 years now. He handed over the Roger Button & Co., Wholesale Hardware to his son Roscoe, and he himself entered Harvard University. He quickly joined the football team, became the college star, but this too is taken away as he gets too young for the team. He went through humiliation, and he went to a prepatory school next. "His studies seemed harder to him--he felt that they were too advanced." (78) -
Age 16!
With his Harvard diploma obtained, Hildegarde lives in Italy, and now quickly his family starts falling apart. "I want you to call me 'Uncle'--not 'Roscoe,' but 'Uncle." do you understand? It looks absurd for a boy fifteen to call me by my first name. Perhaps you'd better call me 'Uncle' all the time, so you'll get used to it." (79) -
Age 10!
Benjamin's son Roscoe has his first child, Benjamin's grandchild grew older and went to kindergarten, and Benjamin too, but soon he was taken away to nurse Nina. If Benjamin could feel things like an adult, all of these would be unacceptable, and very unforgiving events to happen. "Roscoe's son moved up into the first grade after a year, but Benjamin stayed on in the kindergarten." (82) -
AGE 0.
Benjamin disappears into the darkness. He is now nowhere to be seen or heard, peacefully and alone in his crib. "Then it was all dark, and his white crib and the dimf aces that moved above him, and the warm sweet aroma of the milk, faded out altogether from his mind." (83)