INTRODUCTION



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
Morgan Levine
Europe.
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.
He decides to turn to crime to revenge
society and to increase his income since his
wages are so low.
SUMMARY PART II




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.




NEW CRITIC
New Critics only use the text to interpret
the literary
meaning of the poem or story.
SUPPORT
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
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
New CriticsTECHNIQUES
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
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
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.