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Theme Of Babylon Revisited

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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story “Babylon Revisited,” (rpt. in Greg Johnson and Thomas R. Arp, Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 12th ed. [Boston: Wadsworth, 2015] 199-216) begins in Paris at Ritz Bar when a character named Charlie Wales is introduced. Charlie Wales, is described as a renewed father who tries to regain custody of his daughter Honoria after his previous life of drinking and recklessness. Charlie’s old life of drinking and partying caused him to partake in numerous regretful activities, resulting in the death of his own wife, Helen. Due to Charlie’s actions, Honoria was put in guardianship with Helen’s sister, Marion. While Charlie claims to be over with his old habits, Marion questions if he actually is. F. …show more content…

Wales attempt to live with his daughter, the setting the story takes place in, and Charlie’s true inability to escape his past behavior. The theme of Babylon Revisited is what encompasses the story with a lace of entertainment.
The conflict the story presents is Charlie’s attempt to regain custody of his daughter, while not falling back into old habits. The difficulty of Mr. Wales attempts is displayed when he comes by old friends, Duncan Schaeffer and Lorraine Quarrles. The two continue to bother Charlie asking him for his phone number, hotel room, plans for dinner, while teasing of his soberness. “Charlie, I believe you’re sober, she said judicially. I honestly believe he’s sober, Dunc. Pinch him and see if he’s sober. . .They both laughed” (205). Another aspect is Mr. Wales desire to drink throughout the story. Despite Charlie’s change, his resilience to put himself in situations to drink also plays in with the conflict. At the beginning of the story, Mr. Wales is found …show more content…

During the 1920s, many partied and drinked in a fast-paced lifestyle which can be related to Charlie’s original lifestyle. Later, during the 1920s, the stock market crash occurred, causing many to suffer with insufficient funds. The stock market crash also correlates to Charlie and his luck with the stock market, however, later losing all of his money. “The Great Depression lasted from 1929 to 1939, and was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world. . .when the Great Depression reached its lowest point, some 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half the country’s banks had failed” (History.com Staff, 2009). Another real world event is the Great Depression, caused by the stock market crash. At the time of the Great Depression, Americans lost everything, whether it was money, a house, cars, or beds, and were left with a low budget for food and clothes. Readers can infer, the author’s attempt to display the typical behaviors during his time period in America and its relation to Charlie’s. The Ritz Bar is another element in the author’s message to the readers. The Ritz Bar is an actual location in Paris, France, designated as a luxurious area for high class people. “The term still holds its place in common parlance, and American dictionaries define it as ‘luxurious, fashionable, elegant’” (The Ritz Bar, 2018). The bar’s

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