Short Fiction · Character

Dolly Harlan

A Princeton football hero and beautiful young man, Dolly Harlan is in love with Vienna and quietly deciding whether to let the game go.

major

Also known as Harlan, Dolly, Dolores, Dora

First appearance: I

As a major figure in Short Fiction, Dolly Harlan is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Dolly marries during the autumn, an event that depresses Anson and makes him feel old.

In the storyVIOpen this moment free

Dolly Harlan is the golden boy of his class — handsome, athletic, engaged to the magnetic Vienna, and admired by everyone except the people who find him dull. He wants a year free of football, and he tells himself that refusing to be bullied back onto the field is a matter of self-respect, not cowardice; Vienna wants him to speak his piece and be his own man. His torn ankle, his long engagement, and his quiet stubbornness about the autumn make him the story's study in a young man learning what he is willing to give up for love.

See Dolly Harlan in VI Book page

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Character Web

33 connections

A slice of how Dolly Harlan sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Romantic
Other

Character groups

Social climbers and romantics
Eccentric marriage and flirtation
Love and ambition

+28 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Val reaches his emotional and psychological peak in this passage as he confronts the painful gap between his r…

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Relationships

Anson Hunter
romantic · ambivalent
Anson has a casual romantic fling with the lively Dolly, reflecting his pattern of… How this plays out →
Anson Hunter
romantic · ambivalent
Anson has a casual romantic fling with the lively Dolly, reflecting his pattern of… How this plays out →
Anson Hunter
romantic · ambivalent
Anson has a casual romantic fling with the lively Dolly, reflecting his pattern of… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Dolly Harlan in I

In the story

Dolly Harlan appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

VI
Dolly marries during the autumn, an event that depresses Anson and makes him feel old.
I
A Princeton halfback who secretly hates football but feels morally obligated to play; struggles with anxiety in the Yale Bowl.
II
The handsome Princeton football hero, elated after the victory, but bruised and weary; he flirts with Vienna Thorne and later dismisses Carl Sanderson's suicide attempt as weak.
III
Dolly endures the football season with hatred, plays through the Yale game, and avoids talk of captaincy.
IV
Vienna's romantic interest; he decides not to play football, later breaks his ankle in a suspicious accident that allows him to avoid practice.
V
Determined to play football despite a nearly healed ankle injury, against Vienna's wishes; plays in the Yale game, limping and dropping punts but contributing to the defense.
VI
After the game, Dolly is euphoric and slightly drunk, talks about his football performance, and later asserts his identity at the Ambassador Hotel.
IV
Dolores, the maid, covers for George with Helen Avery and shares a brief, intimate moment with him.

Chapter companion notes

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See Dolly Harlan in I

See Dolly Harlan in VI