By the time the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929, it was too late for many Americans to slow down their lavish lifestyle to brace themselves for the metaphorical crash that would leave a wreckage known to history as “The Great Depression.” The hedonistic, bacchanalian lifestyles of the “Lost Generation” would suddenly be buried beneath economic tragedy and despair. F. Scott Fitzgerald represented the pinnacle of “Roaring 20s” and “Lost Generation” lifestyle: expensive clothing, extravagant spending, and exorbitant drinking. In one of his most famous short stories, “Babylon Revisited,” the protagonist Charlie Wales, like Fitzgerald and his “Lost Generation” counterparts, loses himself in the economic boom and is forced to repair the
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It is through the author’s use of revelatory dialogue and purposeful double entendre that Charlie Wales emerges as a symbol of the “Lost Generation” and his situation represents the consequences of their choices. In a conversation between Charlie and Alix, the bartender, Charlie reveals he has not been in America for quite some time. Instead, Charlie now calls Prague, Czechoslovakia, home. It is quite odd, however, that this entire story is set in Paris. Additionally, it is worth noting that the story begins and ends in the Ritz barroom. For the entire story, Charlie is out of place, away from home, and “remains an exile” (Male). Charlie even notices that he has been treated as “a menacing outsider” (Perkins, 1155). In this way, Charlie is homeless and lost. This creates the first parallel between Charlie and “The Lost Generation.” Both are far away from their origins and lost. In Charlie’s case, he is physically far away from his birthplace of America and far away from his new home in Prague. Psychologically, he is also far away from his daughter, Honoria, which is the one person he truly desires. …show more content…
Both Charlie and Paul’s words are double entendres employed by Fitzgerald deliberately to reveal to the audience the actuality of the “Lost Generation” and their mindset. Paul takes Charlie’s words at face value and interprets the statement in terms of money. Fitzgerald gives another double entendre when Paul asks Charlie if he lost his wealth in the boom by “selling short” (Perkins, 1158). The investment term “selling short” refers to selling a borrowed stock in hopes that the stock price will fall and the price difference will be made as a profit. This is an investment strategy that is very risky. It is a strategy that “is not for investors but for gamblers” (Eby). This definition of “selling short” is the interpretation taken by Paul. However, “selling short” can also mean to fail, especially in a circumstance where the failure is brought upon by bad decisions and wrong life choices. Charlie’s interpretation of “selling short” alludes to his “dissolute habits through earning and spending vast sums of money during the boom years” (Eby). The surface meaning of both of these statements is applicable to the “Lost Generation.” The majority of them lost vast amounts of money in the crash. Many investors did “sell short” during the boom which returned huge losses. However, the real loss for the “Lost Generation” was the loss of their values and morals in the boom. The “Lost Generation” had great potential to rise to
It is through the author’s use of revelatory dialogue and purposeful double entendre that Charlie Wales emerges as a symbol of the “Lost Generation” and his situation represents the consequences of their choices. In a conversation between Charlie and Alix, the bartender, Charlie reveals he has not been in America for quite some time. Instead, Charlie now calls Prague, Czechoslovakia, home. It is quite odd, however, that this entire story is set in Paris. Additionally, it is worth noting that the story begins and ends in the Ritz barroom. For the entire story, Charlie is out of place, away from home, and “remains an exile” (Male). Charlie even notices that he has been treated as “a menacing outsider” (Perkins, 1155). In this way, Charlie is homeless and lost. This creates the first parallel between Charlie and “The Lost Generation.” Both are far away from their origins and lost. In Charlie’s case, he is physically far away from his birthplace of America and far away from his new home in Prague. Psychologically, he is also far away from his daughter, Honoria, which is the one person he truly desires. …show more content…
Both Charlie and Paul’s words are double entendres employed by Fitzgerald deliberately to reveal to the audience the actuality of the “Lost Generation” and their mindset. Paul takes Charlie’s words at face value and interprets the statement in terms of money. Fitzgerald gives another double entendre when Paul asks Charlie if he lost his wealth in the boom by “selling short” (Perkins, 1158). The investment term “selling short” refers to selling a borrowed stock in hopes that the stock price will fall and the price difference will be made as a profit. This is an investment strategy that is very risky. It is a strategy that “is not for investors but for gamblers” (Eby). This definition of “selling short” is the interpretation taken by Paul. However, “selling short” can also mean to fail, especially in a circumstance where the failure is brought upon by bad decisions and wrong life choices. Charlie’s interpretation of “selling short” alludes to his “dissolute habits through earning and spending vast sums of money during the boom years” (Eby). The surface meaning of both of these statements is applicable to the “Lost Generation.” The majority of them lost vast amounts of money in the crash. Many investors did “sell short” during the boom which returned huge losses. However, the real loss for the “Lost Generation” was the loss of their values and morals in the boom. The “Lost Generation” had great potential to rise to