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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a famous story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was a well-known American writer. He wrote this story in the year 1922. The story is special because it is not about a normal man. It is about a man who is born old and becomes younger every year.
At the start of his life, Benjamin looks like a 70-year-old man. As time passes, he becomes younger and younger. This is the opposite of what happens in real life. This strange idea makes the story interesting and different.
In this book, you will read an easy version of the story. It is a simple English story. The sentences are short. The grammar is easy. The words are not difficult. This book is made for people who are learning English. If your English is Level 1, this story is a good choice for you.
You will follow Benjamin’s life from beginning to end. You will see how he lives, learns, loves, and changes. Some parts are funny. Some parts are sad. But all of it is easy to understand.
Now, let’s begin the story of Benjamin Button — the man who lived life backward.
This story was rewritten by LearnEnglish-new.com for English learners. Enjoy reading the story and improve your English skills!
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Contents
Chapter Two: Buying Clothes for the Baby
Chapter Three: Benjamin Tries to Be a Baby
Chapter Four: College Problems
Chapter Seven: Growing Younger
Chapter One
The Strange Baby
In the year 1860, Mr. Roger Button was very happy. His wife was going to have a baby. It was their first child.
Mr. Button wanted a boy. He wanted his son to go to a big school one day. He was very excited. He also felt nervous.
The baby was going to be born in a hospital. This was new for Mr. Button. Many people had babies at home in those days.
One morning in September, Mr. Button woke up early. He put on his best clothes. Then he walked quickly to the hospital.
When he was near the hospital, he saw Doctor Keene. The doctor looked angry.
“Doctor Keene!” Mr. Button called. “How is my wife? Is the baby OK?”
The doctor looked at him. His face was not happy.
“Talk to me!” said Mr. Button. “Is it a boy or a girl?”
Doctor Keene said, “Go and look for yourself.”
“Is something wrong?” asked Mr. Button.
“Yes,” said the doctor. “Go and see. I can’t help you now. I don’t want to work with your family again!”
Then the doctor walked away.
Mr. Button felt scared. He did not know what was happening. He slowly walked into the hospital.
Inside, a young nurse sat at a desk.
“Good morning,” Mr. Button said. “I want to see my baby.”
The nurse looked afraid. She stood up quickly.
“Go upstairs!” she said. “Right now!”
Mr. Button walked up the stairs. He was very nervous. He was shaking. He was holding a small bowl for the baby.
On the next floor, he saw another nurse.
“I am Mr. Button,” he said. “I want to see my baby.”
The nurse looked scared. The bowl fell from Mr. Button’s hands. It made a loud sound on the floor.
“I want to see my baby!” he shouted.
“Come with me,” the nurse said.
They walked to a room. Many babies were crying inside.
“This is the crying room,” the nurse said.
Mr. Button looked around.
“Which baby is mine?” he asked.
The nurse pointed to one crib.
Mr. Button looked at the baby. He was shocked. He saw a very old man in the crib.
The old man had white hair and a long beard. His face looked tired.
“Am I going crazy?” said Mr. Button.
“That is your child,” said the nurse.
Mr. Button looked again. The baby looked 70 years old!
The old baby looked at him.
“Are you my father?” he asked in a soft voice.
Mr. Button and the nurse were very surprised.
“I want to leave this room,” said the old baby. “Can I have a chair?”
Mr. Button said, “Who are you?”
“I don’t know my first name,” said the old man. “But my last name is Button. I was born today.”
“This is not real,” said Mr. Button.
“It is real,” said the nurse. “This is your child.”
“You must take him home.”
Mr. Button said, “Take him home? Really?”
“Yes,” said the nurse. “He cannot stay here.”
The old baby said, “Good! This place is too loud. I want to sleep. And I want some food!”
Mr. Button sat down. He put his face in his hands.
“What will people say?” he said. “What should I do?”
“You must take him home,” said the nurse. “Now.”
Mr. Button felt very sad. He imagined walking in the street with this strange baby.
“I can’t do it,” he said.
“Be strong!” said the nurse.
The old baby said, “I will not walk home in this baby blanket!”
“Babies wear blankets,” said the nurse.
“This baby will not!” said the old man. “It is too small. It hurts!”
Mr. Button looked worried.
“What can I do?” he asked.
“Buy him some clothes,” said the nurse.
Mr. Button ran out the door.
The old baby called behind him, “And buy me a cane, Father!”
Chapter Two
Buying Clothes for the Baby
Mr. Button walked into a clothes store. He looked nervous.
“Good morning,” he said to the shop worker. “I want to buy some clothes for my child.”
“How old is your child?” the worker asked.
Mr. Button thought for a second. “About six hours,” he said.
“Then go to the baby clothes section,” the worker said.
Mr. Button shook his head. “No… he is very big. Bigger than normal.”
“Then go to the biggest child size,” the worker said.
“Where is the boys’ section?” asked Mr. Button.
“Right here,” said the worker.
Mr. Button didn’t want to buy adult clothes for a baby. But there were no baby clothes big enough for his strange son.
He looked at many clothes but didn’t find anything right.
“How old did you say your boy is?” the worker asked again.
“He’s… sixteen,” Mr. Button lied.
“Oh! I thought you said six hours!” said the worker. “Go to the next section.”
Mr. Button turned around. He was sad. Then he saw a suit on a dummy in the window.
“I’ll take that suit!” he said.
The worker was surprised. “That’s not a child’s suit. It’s for parties!”
“I don’t care,” said Mr. Button. “Wrap it up.”
The worker gave him the suit.
Mr. Button went back to the hospital. He gave the clothes to his son.
“Here’s your clothes,” he said.
The old baby opened the package and looked at the clothes.
“They look strange,” he said. “I don’t want to look silly!”
Mr. Button became angry. “Just wear them! I don’t care how you look. Put them on, or I will…”
“All right, Father,” the baby said. “You are older. You know best.”
When the baby said “Father,” Mr. Button felt strange.
“Hurry up,” Mr. Button said.
“I’m going fast, Father,” said the baby.
After the baby got dressed, Mr. Button looked at him. He wore pink pants, dotted socks, and a shirt with a big white collar. His long beard was still there.
“Wait!” said Mr. Button.
He took scissors and cut part of the beard. But the baby still looked very old.
Mr. Button gave him his hand. “Come on!” he said.
The baby took his hand. “What will you call me, Dad? Maybe just ‘Baby’ for now?”
Mr. Button was angry. “I don’t know,” he said. “I think we’ll call you Methuselah.”
Chapter Three
Benjamin Tries to Be a Baby
Mr. Button cut Benjamin’s hair short. He dyed it black. He shaved Benjamin’s face. He put baby clothes on him. But Benjamin still looked very old.
The nurse came to help. She saw Benjamin and left the house. She never came back.
Mr. Button did not give up. He said, “Benjamin is a baby. He must live like a baby.”
At first, he only gave Benjamin warm milk. But Benjamin did not like it. So Mr. Button gave him bread, butter, and oatmeal.
One day, Mr. Button brought a baby toy called a rattle.
“Play with it,” he said.
Benjamin took the rattle and moved it a little. The sound was soft. But he looked bored.
He did not like baby toys. He liked to be alone. Mr. Button once found him smoking a cigar! Mr. Button wanted to punish him but could not do it.
Mr. Button brought more toys: small soldiers, toy trains, and soft animals. But Benjamin was not interested. He wanted books. He read big books for many hours.
People in the town talked about the strange baby. Some people said, “He looks like his grandfather!” Mr. and Mrs. Button were not happy about that.
Benjamin stayed home. Mr. Button brought other boys to play with him. But Benjamin did not enjoy it. He broke things. He broke a window with a stone. Mr. Button was secretly happy about this.
Benjamin’s grandfather did not like him at first. But later, they became good friends. They talked a lot. Benjamin liked being with his grandfather more than with his parents.
Benjamin was still confused. “Why do I look so old?” he asked himself. He read medical books but found no answers.
His father told him, “Try to play football.”
But Benjamin did not like it. “It shakes my body,” he said. “I’m afraid I will break my bones.”
At age five, Benjamin went to kindergarten. He had to cut paper and make crafts. But he often fell asleep in class. The teacher told his parents, “He is too old for this.” So he left school.
By age twelve, his parents stopped thinking he was strange. But then something new happened. Benjamin looked in the mirror and thought, “My hair is less white. My skin looks better. Am I getting younger?”
He went to his father and said, “I am big now. I want to wear long trousers.”
His father said, “You are only twelve. Boys wear long trousers at fourteen.”
“But I look older than twelve,” said Benjamin.
His father looked at him and said, “Maybe you’re right. I was your size when I was twelve.”
So they agreed. Benjamin could wear long trousers. But he had to dye his hair and stop using a walking cane. He also had to stop wearing glasses.
Chapter Four
College Problems
Benjamin grew older in years, but he looked younger. When he was eighteen years old, he looked like a strong man of fifty. His hair was dark gray. He stood tall and spoke clearly.
His father said, “You are ready for college.”
So Benjamin went to Yale College to take the entrance test. He passed. He became a freshman student.
Three days later, he got a letter from the college office. He had to visit Mr. Hart, the registrar. Benjamin wanted to look young, so he tried to dye his hair. But he had no more hair dye. He had thrown it away the day before.
He had to go without it.
At the office, Mr. Hart smiled.
“Good morning. Are you here about your son?” he asked.
“No,” said Benjamin. “I am Mr. Button. I’m the freshman.”
“What?” Mr. Hart said in shock.
“I’m the freshman,” Benjamin said again.
“You must be joking.”
“No, I’m not.”
Mr. Hart looked at a paper. “It says here you are eighteen.”
“That’s right,” said Benjamin.
Mr. Hart looked at him for a moment. “Mr. Button, I don’t believe you.”
“I am eighteen,” Benjamin said softly.
“Get out!” Mr. Hart shouted. “You are too old. You are not a real student. Leave this college right now!”
Benjamin stood up straight. “I am eighteen years old,” he said again.
He walked out of the office. Some college students in the hallway looked at him and followed him. Benjamin turned back and said loudly, “I am eighteen years old!”
The students laughed.
Benjamin walked to the train station. More students followed him. They laughed and made jokes:
“He looks like an old man!”
“Is he lost?”
“Go to Harvard!”
Everyone thought he was crazy. People ran out of classrooms to see him.
Benjamin walked faster. Then he ran. He was angry and sad. On the train back to Baltimore, he looked out the window and shouted:
“You will regret this!”
The students laughed more. They said, “Ha-ha! That was the biggest mistake Yale ever made!”
Chapter Five
First Love
In the year 1880, Benjamin Button was 20 years old. He started working with his father at Roger Button & Co., a hardware business. His father also took him to many dances.
Now Benjamin looked younger. He had more hair. He walked straight and strong. People thought he and his father were brothers.
One evening, Benjamin and his father wore nice suits and rode to a big house near Baltimore. There was a party and many people were dancing. The sky was bright and the moon was full.
Roger Button said, “There’s a good future in business.”
Benjamin smiled.
His father added, “I’m old and can’t learn new things. But you are young and full of energy.”
Soon they arrived at the house. Lights were shining. Music was playing. Many people stood outside.
Then Benjamin saw a young woman. She was beautiful. Her name was Hildegarde Moncrief.
Benjamin looked at her and felt strange. His heart beat fast. His cheeks turned red. It was his first love.
Roger whispered, “That’s Hildegarde. She is the daughter of General Moncrief.”
Benjamin said, “She’s very pretty. Can you introduce me?”
Later, Benjamin and his father met Hildegarde. She bowed politely. Benjamin said hello but felt nervous.
He waited for his turn to dance. Many young men were near her. Benjamin did not like them. He thought, “They are silly and loud.”
When it was finally his turn, he danced with Hildegarde. He forgot all his fear. He was happy.
“You and your brother came with us, right?” Hildegarde asked, looking up at him.
Benjamin paused. He wanted to say, “He’s my father.” But he remembered Yale. People didn’t believe his real age. So he stayed quiet.
Hildegarde smiled. “I like men of your age,” she said. “Young boys are foolish. They waste money. But older men are smart and kind.”
Benjamin wanted to ask her to marry him, but he waited.
“You’re just the perfect age,” she said. “Not too young, not too old. I love fifty-year-old men.”
Benjamin thought, “Fifty is a great age. I want to be fifty.”
Then she said, “I always said I’d rather marry a fifty-year-old man who cares for me than a young man I must care for.”
They danced again. They talked a lot. They agreed to meet again on Sunday and take a drive.
Later that night, Benjamin and his father rode home in their carriage. It was almost morning.
Roger was talking about business. “After hammers and nails,” he said, “what is most important in life?”
Benjamin said softly, “Love.”
Roger laughed. “Love? I was talking about lugs!”
Benjamin didn’t answer. He looked at the sky. The sun was rising.
Chapter Six
The Mystery Man
Six months later, something big happened.
Benjamin Button and Hildegarde Moncrief got engaged. They were going to get married.
Hildegarde’s father, General Moncrief, was very angry. He said, “I would rather die than agree to this!”
People in Baltimore were surprised. The news spread quickly.
Old stories about Benjamin came back. Some people said strange things:
- “Benjamin is not the son. He is the father!”
- “He is really Roger Button’s brother who was in jail.”
- “He is wearing a disguise!”
- “He has horns on his head!”
The newspapers in New York even made funny drawings of Benjamin. One paper called him The Mystery Man of Maryland. But not many people read it.
Some people were angry. They said, “This is wrong. A young girl should not marry an old man!”
Mr. Button tried to stop the lies. He showed Benjamin’s real birth certificate in the local newspaper. It said Benjamin was young. But no one believed it. They only saw his old face.
Still, Benjamin and Hildegarde were happy. They did not listen to the gossip.
General Moncrief begged his daughter not to marry Benjamin. He said, “Men who look fifty often die soon!”
But Hildegarde did not care. She said, “I want a man who is kind and calm.”
And so, she married Benjamin.
Chapter Seven
Growing Younger
After Benjamin and Hildegarde got married, the family business became very successful. The hardware company made more money. People said this was because Benjamin was full of energy and new ideas.
Even General Moncrief, Hildegarde’s father, became friendly with Benjamin. He was happy when Benjamin helped him publish his book about the Civil War.
In the next 15 years, Benjamin changed a lot. He felt younger and stronger. He walked happily in the sunshine and worked hard at the business. In 1890, he had a big idea for the company. He suggested a new law about nails. This idea helped the business very much.
Benjamin also started to enjoy life more. He bought a car—the first man in Baltimore to do so. People on the street looked at him and said, “He looks younger every year!”
Even his father, now 65 years old, started to show respect to Benjamin.
But not everything was good.
Benjamin had one problem—his wife.
She was now 35 years old, and they had a 14-year-old son named Roscoe. When they were first married, Benjamin loved Hildegarde. But now, things had changed.
Her face and eyes looked dull. She did not want fun or new things. She was too calm and serious. Before, she used to take Benjamin to parties. Now, Benjamin wanted to go out, but she stayed home.
Benjamin felt sad and bored. He wanted change. In 1898, when war started between Spain and America, he joined the army.
Thanks to his strong body and good name, Benjamin quickly became a captain. Later, he became a major, and then a lieutenant-colonel. He even won a medal!
Benjamin loved army life. He liked the action and the adventure. But later, he returned home to work again. A band met him at the station and played music for him.
Chapter Eight
Growing Apart
When Benjamin came home from the war, Hildegarde met him with a flag. She smiled, but Benjamin felt sad. Hildegarde was now 40 years old, and she looked older. She had gray hairs in her head.
Benjamin went to his room and looked in the mirror. He looked younger than before. He looked like a man of 30. This made him afraid. He thought, “I’m still getting younger!”
He went downstairs. Hildegarde looked annoyed. At dinner, he tried to talk about it.
He said, “Everyone says I look younger.”
Hildegarde said coldly, “Is that something to be proud of?”
“I’m not trying to brag,” said Benjamin.
She replied, “You should stop this. It’s strange.”
“I can’t help it,” he said.
“Yes, you can. You always want to be different. Why can’t you just be like other people?”
Benjamin didn’t know what to say. From that moment, the space between them grew bigger.
Benjamin started going to parties. He liked to talk and dance with younger women. He enjoyed life. But Hildegarde stayed home. She looked sad and angry. People at the parties talked.
They said, “What a shame! That young man is married to a woman of forty-five!”
They didn’t remember that Hildegarde had once looked younger than Benjamin.
Benjamin felt unhappy at home. But he had many hobbies. He played golf. He learned to dance very well. Everyone in town liked his dancing.
He still helped at the family business, but now his son Roscoe was ready to take over. Roscoe had finished college and was smart.
People often thought Benjamin and Roscoe were brothers. Benjamin liked that.
He smiled in the mirror and was happy with his young face.
But there was still one problem—Hildegarde was now 50, and Benjamin didn’t want to go out with her anymore. When he saw her, he felt uncomfortable.
Chapter Nine
Back to School
In 1910, Benjamin was around 50 years old—but he looked only 20. He joined Harvard University as a student. He didn’t say anything about his real age or that his son had already studied there.
Benjamin looked older than other new students, so he was quickly noticed.
He played football and did very well. He scored many goals. People talked about him. He became very famous.
But later, he started to lose strength. He became thinner and shorter. In his third year, he played badly. In his last year, he was very weak and didn’t make the team. Some students thought he was a freshman because he looked so young.
Benjamin felt bad. He didn’t understand some lessons. He thought the other students were too grown-up. So after he graduated, he decided to go to a new school—St. Midas, a school for younger boys.
He went back home to Baltimore. Hildegarde was now living in Italy. Benjamin moved in with his son, Roscoe.
Roscoe was kind, but not very happy to have his father around. He was now married and an important man. He didn’t want people to gossip about his strange-looking father.
Benjamin felt lonely. His only friends were 15-year-old boys from the neighborhood. He wanted to go to school again, like them.
One day he told Roscoe, “I want to go to prep school. You’ve said no many times, but I still want to go.”
Roscoe said, “Then go.”
“I can’t go alone,” said Benjamin. “You need to take me and register me.”
“I don’t have time,” Roscoe answered. He was angry and looked at Benjamin seriously. “This joke has gone too far. You need to stop. This is not funny.”
Benjamin felt tears in his eyes.
Roscoe added, “When people visit our house, don’t call me Roscoe. Call me ‘Uncle.’ You’re starting to look like a little boy. It sounds strange when you call me by my name.”
Roscoe turned away and walked off.
Chapter Ten
Back to the Army
After his talk with Roscoe, Benjamin felt sad. He went upstairs and looked in the mirror. His face looked young and soft. He hadn’t shaved for months. He looked like a boy now.
Roscoe told him, “You should wear glasses and a fake beard.” But Benjamin hated the fake beard. It made him feel silly.
Benjamin started reading boys’ books. One day he thought about the war. America had joined World War I. Benjamin wanted to join the army again. But the army only accepted men who were at least sixteen—and Benjamin looked younger than that. His real age was 57, but he didn’t look it.
Then, a letter came to his house. It was from the army. The letter said Benjamin was called back to service as a brigadier general. He was so happy!
He ran out of the house and went to a shop to buy a new army uniform.
A store worker said, “Do you want to play soldier, kid?”
Benjamin got angry. “I’m not a kid! My name is Benjamin Button. I live on Mt. Vernon Place. I’m a real general!”
The worker finally gave him the uniform.
Benjamin went to the army camp in South Carolina. He paid the taxi and stood in front of the gate.
“Help me with my bags!” he said to a soldier.
The soldier looked at him and said, “Where are you going with those clothes, little boy?”
Benjamin stood straight. “I’m a real soldier!” he shouted.
The soldier laughed, but then a real colonel came by on a horse.
Benjamin yelled, “Colonel!”
The colonel stopped and asked, “Whose little boy are you?”
Benjamin shouted, “I’ll show you who I am! Get down from that horse!”
The colonel laughed.
Benjamin pulled out his army paper. “Read this!”
The colonel read it. His eyes grew wide.
“Where did you get this?” he asked.
“From the government!” said Benjamin.
The colonel said, “Come with me. Let’s talk about this.”
Benjamin followed the colonel to the army office.
But two days later, something happened. His son Roscoe came from Baltimore. He was angry and hot from travel. He took Benjamin back home.
Benjamin cried. He had to leave the army once again.
Chapter Eleven
The End
In the year 1920, Roscoe’s first child was born. At the party, no one said anything about the little ten-year-old boy who played with toy soldiers. That little boy was Benjamin Button—the baby’s grandfather.
Roscoe did not like having Benjamin around. Benjamin looked like a child, but he was actually an old man. Roscoe thought his father should act more like a serious adult, not like a little boy.
Five years later, Roscoe’s child was old enough to play. Roscoe sent both boys—his son and little Benjamin—to kindergarten. Benjamin liked playing with colorful paper and toys. He cried once when he had to stand in the corner, but most of the time he was happy.
After one year, Roscoe’s son moved up to first grade. But Benjamin stayed in kindergarten. He liked it there. When the other children talked about what they would do when they grow up, Benjamin felt sad. He knew he would not grow up like them.
Benjamin stayed in kindergarten for a third year, but now he was too small. He didn’t understand what the teacher said. He cried because the other children were bigger than him.
Then, Benjamin was taken out of school. He stayed home with his nurse, Nana. She was kind and always with him. She helped him dress, play, and sleep. She taught him to say the word “elephant.” Sometimes she let him jump on the bed, and he laughed.
He liked to play with a cane and say, “Fight, fight, fight.” The older ladies liked him. The younger girls tried to kiss him, but he didn’t care much.
At five o’clock each day, he went upstairs with Nana. She gave him soft food like oatmeal and fed him with a spoon.
Benjamin had no bad memories. He didn’t dream of college, war, or work. His past was gone. He only saw Nana, his crib, and the soft lights. He didn’t remember anything else.
He forgot everything. He forgot how warm the milk was or how long the days were. When he was hungry, he cried. That was all.
Soon, it was always dark. He didn’t see the faces above him anymore. And the warm smell of milk slowly faded.
Benjamin was gone.
— THE END –
The Original Version of the Story: americanliterature.com
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