A New Leaf (short story)

"A New Leaf" is a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald that published in July 1931 in the Saturday Evening Post. This short story involves characters that deal with the effects of alcohol on love, weakness, and trust.

Characters

Julia Ross"There was Julia, who was a little too good for anybody and sometimes regret- ted that she had been quite so well endowed." ( a very well endowed young lady in every sense of the word.)

Phil Hoffman "opposite her with his heart balanced on his fork" (is in love with Julia but is trying the friend approach since every guy to approach her has been rejected.

Dick Ragland (Julia)"Handsome! He's an archangel, he's a mountain lion, he's something to eat. Just why didn't you introduce him?" (Phil)"Because he's got the worst reputation of any American in Paris." "The fact remains he's not received anywhere—not for one reason but for a thousand."(Julia)"What reasons?"(Phil)"Everything. Drink, women, jails, scandals, killed somebody with an auto- mobile, lazy, worthless—" (Dick is a Dick)

Esther Cary "It's about a girl. You introduced me to her last summer and told me to be very nice to her—Esther Cary." (A friend of Julia and Dick's secret lover when Julia is away)

Plot synopsis

The story opens in a French café where a young woman, Julia, sits with her close friend, Phil. Phil’s acquaintance, Dick Ragland, approaches their table. As Dick is very handsome and confident, Julia notices his charm. Phil warns her, however, of Dick’s untrustworthy ways and of his horrible reputation. Julia cannot help but accept a date offer from Dick. She soon discovers, though, that Phil’s warning is justifiable: Dick is a drunk who, when intoxicated, is quite the opposite of the handsome man she laid eyes on in the café. They both sail to America on separate ambitions. Dick promises himself to stop drinking once he turns 28 and makes sure that Julia knows this. Julia and Dick are an item before leaving the Boat that takes them to America. They are very close and he relies on her for support and comfort. Julia leaves to visit relatives in California for two months. In her absence, Julia hopes Dick will stand on his own without relying on anyone but himself. She thinks, after returning from California, that he has changed but she is still wary to marry Dick. Phil visits Julia and tries to convince her not to marry Dick. Julia rejects Phil's efforts. Phil goes to Dick and talks to him despite Julia's Objections. It is assumed that he convinces Dick to tell her the truth or he will. Dick tells Julia of an affair he has been having with Julia's friend Esther in order not to slip back in to drinking and tries to convince Julia it's all for her. Julia and Dick argue for three days and he says he will go on a "business trip" to give her time to think assuring her he only ever loved her and that he gives her everything he has. Julia realizes this is nothing and that she has loved him all along for his looks. Dick gets lost at sea and Phil steps in at just the right time to marry Julia, as he most likely planned, but her love for Dick will always remain.

Relation of Alcohol to Characters

Dick Ragland is a very weak individual. The promise he makes to himself to cease drinking comes with a price: Julia becomes his outlet of obsession. He used to lean on alcohol, now he leans on Julia. When Julia is in California, not only does he drink, but he also finds another woman to fill the void of Julia’s absence. He needs not just one particular woman, but a woman in general. Her hopes to make him a stronger, more independent person are lost, for he knows of his weaknesses and he willingly gets lost at sea.

Not only does Julia experience the effects of Dick’s alcoholism, but also anyone who encounters Dick sees alcohol’s effect on his personality/composure. Phil asserts in the beginning of the story to Julia that, “Like so many alcoholics, he has a certain charm…just when somebody’s taken him up and is making a big fuss over him, he pours soup down his hostess’s back.” Phil is implying that Dick’s drunken self is opposite of his sober composed state. Julia, however, fails to take Phil’s advice of staying away from Dick and thus pursues him all the more.

Phil and Julia show no signs throughout the entire story of craving, drinking, or personally experiencing alcohol. This very point offers a contrast to Dick’s tendencies of relating social skills to alcohol use. Oddly enough, one would think Dick would learn from his diminishing reputation and would stop drinking before arriving in New York. One would think that after no longer receiving invitations to social events Dick would alter his drinking patterns in order to improve his behavior. Curiously, Dick cannot even go without alcohol even though he knows what others think of him and even though Julia does not approve of Dick’s drunken behavior. Alcoholic or not, if Julia’s support is as important to Dick as he lets on, Dick’s happily irresponsible and shameful behavior should have halted before death prevented any chance of recovery.