The Four Fists

Four punches. One man. A bruised ego becomes an accidental education in decency.

The Four Fists was published in The Saturday Evening Post on April 4, 1920, just two months before Dalyrimple Goes Wrong—though it was likely written a bit earlier. Fitzgerald, still in his early twenties, was finding his footing as a short story craftsman. This tale carries less of the glittering cynicism that would soon define his work, but it’s already alive with his trademark irony.

It was a time when he was experimenting—writing about morals, mistakes, and the unexpected ways character is shaped. If Dalyrimple was the story of ambition gone wrong, The Four Fists is its lighter twin: a coming-of-age tale in knuckle form.

The Story
Jerome Dorrance is not an unlikable man—just an unexamined one. Polite, privileged, and eager to impress, he floats through life with the gentle confidence of someone who’s never been truly challenged.

Until he gets punched in the face.

Then again. And again. And again.

Each blow comes from a different person, in a different stage of Jerome’s life. And each time, it knocks something new into place: a sense of empathy, a dose of humility, a glimmer of integrity. Through these four literal “wake-up calls,” Jerome transforms from a smug young snob into a thoughtful, if still slightly dazed, man.

The story isn’t about violence—it’s about awakening. Fitzgerald’s wit dances just beneath the surface, gently prodding us with the idea that maybe the universe does, occasionally, hit back… and maybe we should thank it.

Published: April 4, 1920 (The Saturday Evening Post)