Remembering Babylon

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, “Babylon Revisited,” the protagonist, Charlie Wales, despite his many flaws, is a man whom readers can’t help but like. Nevertheless, it is surprising that Charlie can be such a likeable character if the reader considers his past issues with alcohol, his possible involvement in the death of his wife, and the fact that he deserted Honoria. Charlie deals with his inability to escape the past and the Ritz bar, which symbolizes his spiritual home. Although…

Joan Turner from Old Dominion University wrote an article about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story “Babylon Revisited”. In the article, she demonstrates how the frequent time references in the story help support an important theme. Turner begins her article by pointing out what that theme is. She says that Fitzgerald’s use of words relate to time, which in turn reinforces that the past cannot be escaped. This is one of the main themes throughout the story. She continues on by noting each…

Idealism and dreams are essential influence of a character, however, there are times when they clash with characters’ decision. This occurs in ‘Babylon Revisited’ which earned Fitzgerald his top Saturday Evening Post price of four thousand dollars and which is considered to be one of his best short stories (Mangum 1373). As most of his better known fictions, this one is also intensely personal, expressing his feelings about his alcoholism, his wife’s breakdown and his responsibility to his…

Scott Fitzgerald they think of the roaring 20’s and his famous novel the “Great Gatsby”, what many tend to not recognize or acknowledge is Fitzgerald’s skills of capturing the mood of the 1930’s as well. Written in 1930, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited” is a perfect example of his writing about life after the 1929 stock market crash. The short story introduces readers to Charlie Wales, the main character who lost everything after the stock market crash. Wales has returned to his old…

or emotionally corroding them. This is evident in Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited” as the development of Charlie Whales presents the inevitable to escape the past. In the beginning of the novel Charlie revisits a familiar city from…

Ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia were two of the world’s earliest city-based civilizations. They were strong forces to contend with, and each built thriving empires that lasted for thousands of years. Even though they may have faced difficult or destructive times, they had lasting and influential effects on the rest of history world. They both formed the foundation for Middle Eastern and Western history, and established examples for other future river valley civilizations. However, despite…

don’t have in pursuit of impressing people they often don’t even like. Ultimately it seems the vicious circle ends in regret and self-loathing. This seems to be a pressing theme presented in the 2013 film The Great Gatsby and in Scott Fitzgerald’s Babylon Revisited. Charlie and Jay Gatsby share many similarities throughout their stories. However most obviously they were both wealthy and well-known yet they are stuck on mistakes they had both made in their youths. The time periods they were in…

and the “darkness” is his grim past of loss, addiction, and imprisonment. In a general sense, however, “light” represents any passion an individual might have that has the power to save him or her from pain, or “darkness.” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited,” and James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” are set in times of both success and turmoil in the United States. Although the former does not take place directly in America, it is reflective of the social response and physical consequences of…

experience does not become an idol before God. Christians are a minority. The pressure to conform to the societal standards of how to fit in with the typical college crowd can be challenging and overwhelming. Just like Daniel stood his ground in Babylon, students should stand with their faith and fight the temptation to fall astray from God. Students should form a modern worldview and compare it what a Christian worldview should be. People should recognize what is wicked and what is…

Within both texts, Winton and Malouf demonstrate how people change their own identity in order become accepted by others. In this, the authors show that the pressure to conform to society causes people to change their own character and identity, thus preventing them from showing genuine individuality. This can be seen through the change in Lachlan’s character as he abandons his friendship with Gemmy. Malouf uses diction during Lachlan’s childhood, describing his connection with Gemmy as a…