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.

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 untrustworthiness 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 reaches America. Julia and Dick are an item after a short time in the states. They are very close and he relies on her for support and comfort. Julia leaves to visit relatives in California for two months. Amidst 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 on marrying Dick, for she is “deciding for her children.” Phil visits Julia in confidence, informing her of Dick’s failure to rely on only himself and of his return to drinking and his lack of responsibilities. Julia is disturbed by this information, and coincidentally, Dick gets lost at sea, ashamed of his actions. Phil and Julia marry, 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 irresponsible and shameful behavior should have halted before death prevented any chance of recovery.