INTRODUCTION Morgan Levine Dalyrimple Goes Wrong was written in 1922 by F. Scott Fitzgerald. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote this story after World War I in which he served as a Lieutenant. It was a period of history in which the United States was at a transitional stage with young men returning from the war in Europe. Morgan Levine

SUMMARY PART I Brian Dalyrimple returns home from World War I as a hero. His father recently died while Brian was fighting the Germans. Brian waits a long time and realizes he has to go to work. He gets a job but he thinks he is not moving up fast enough and his wages are too low. He is angry because he believes he deserves better.

SUMMARY PART II He decides to turn to crime to revenge society and to increase his income since his wages are so low. He becomes a rebel by robbing people on the streets and burglarizing homes. He is approached by a “big shot” in the United States Government who is impressed with both Brian’s character and his war record. He offers him the opportunity to serve and become a member of the United States Senate. Brian Dalyrimple feels triumphant.

ARGUMENT WITH NEW CRITIC SUPPORT New Critics only use the text to interpret the literary meaning of the poem or story. New Criticism does not interpret the intention of the author but concentrates on the words in the text. By using New Criticism the reader will be enabled to understand the reasons that Brian Dalyrimple turned to crime. To fully understand Brian Dalyrimple’s behavior, the text must be read intensely and each word needs to be analyzed and understood.

ETYMOLOGY The New Critic would accept the idea of etymology of the word’s individual meaning. The words in a text change meaning from one time period to another and often the New Critic must research what the word meant at the time the text was written. In Dalyrimple Goes Wrong the word “romp” which today means children playing had a completely different meaning in 1922 when the story was written. Its meaning then was to describe Dalyrimple’s time spent fighting the Germans in World War I. In 1922 Dalyrimple’s criminal behavior only received minimum attention in the local newspaper whereas today the media would post it in all the newspapers, television and the internet.

LITERARY TECHNIQUES New Critics utilize the different literary techniques to aid the reader to understand the text. Literary techniques are especially useful when only using the text itself and does not seek further information. In Dalyrimple Goes Wrong, Fitzgerald uses alliteration when describing Dalyrimple’s age of twenty-three. Fitzgerald uses allusion when he refers to specific details about a character and later the reader finds out it is Brian Dalyrimple who is the main character in the story. Paradox is also used when Fitzgerald describes Dalyrimple as having a “cool hand in a hot situation.” Although these parts seem contradictory they make sense in the story. The literary techniques that Fitzgerald uses are significant because they help formulate Dalyrimple’s character.

LITERAL & LITERARY MEANINGS New Critics use both the literal and literary meanings. The literal meaning is the actual meaning which is the denotation. The literary meaning is the connotation of the word which is the individual’s created meaning based on the text. An example of this is when Fitzgerald describes Dalyrimple’s eyes as “keen gray eyes.” On a literal level we know that his eyes are gray and he is able to see well, but the New Critics on a literary level knows, in addition, that his eyes are sharp, can see in the dark and able to help Dalyrimple commit crimes. The literal meaning assists the reader in delving into Dalyrimple’s character and is able to understand who he really is and not just the literal description of him.

OBJECTIVE CORRELATION The New Critic effectively will use objective correlation when reading and deciphering the text. The New Critic will experience, feel and recognize emotions that are created by the author without the author actually creating them. Fitzgerald never writes directly about Dalyrimple’s character but tells of his past history and his present state. We learn his age, his lack of employment, his two years at college, and his father paid his tuition, his father’s death and his serving in the military. This allows the reader to draw their own conclusions and react emotionally to this information. The New Critic draws his own emotions about the character from the facts given by the author.

SYNTAX The New Critic uses syntax which is the order in which the author puts his words and description of the character. It helps to foreshadow what is to come. Fitzgerald begins his story by telling Dalyrimple’s age, his joblessness, his stint in the army and all the necessary facts about his early life. The New Critic can then use this information to foreshadow or predict what is going to happen to Dalyrimple. This information was put in such order that the reader can readily understand what led Dalyrimple into a life of crime and the robberies and burglaries that he committed.

HIDDEN MEANINGS In Dalyrimple Goes Wrong the New Critic can readily locate, uncover and discover hidden meanings. Although Fitzgerald writes that Dalyrimple enters a life of crime for the purpose of accumulating extra money, the New Critic can find more definite reasons for his becoming a criminal.

Continued The New Critic, up to that point in the story, knows that Dalyrimple is, to quote a trite expression, a “spoiled brat.” He went to college for two years because his father paid his tuition, he didn’t look for a job when he was discharged from the army and the New Critic will know too that he got a job that he was displeased with because of his meager salary. So, instead of getting another job he started a crime spree. Without being told, the New Critic can decipher the hidden meaning of his becoming a criminal. Dalyrimple thought he was entitled to whatever he wanted. He came home from the war as a hero and thought he could do whatever he wanted. When he didn’t get what he thought he deserved in his pay check, he took a shortcut to get it.

WRAP –UP By taking the New Criticism approach, the reader of the text will be able to establish an understanding of Brian Dalyrimple and his actions. The reader will interpret the story by the words that Fitzgerald wrote and not the intention of the author. The etymology of the words allows the reader to formulate modern day meanings of Dalyrimple’s actions in earlier times. Objective correlation helps the reader understand how Dalyrimple’s true feelings and thought processes are during his hard times through the events and circumstances that he experienced. The hidden meanings play a crucial role in understanding why Dalyrimple is greedy and believes he is entitled to whatever he wants. The reader is enabled to realize who the real Dalyrimple is through his illegal behavior.