Babylon Revisited

While he suffers from alcoholism and has failed in his previouos attempts to regain custody of his daughter Honoria from his sister-in-law, Charlie Wales of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon...

This story is written in the third person, but whether the narrator is omniscient or limited is debatable—omniscient means that the narrator has access to the internal perspective of multiple...

“Babylon Revisited” tells the story of Charlie Wales. Charlie spends the story working diligently to make up for the sins of his past so that he can have custody of his daughter. The novel deals...

It is clear that the narrator of this brilliant short story shows Charlie, the central protagonist, as a man who is desperately trying to outrun his past and failing dismally. Charlie is a man who...

These words are spoken in a conversation between the story's protagonist, Charles Wales, and a bartender. Charles, who's rapidly turning into a full-blown alcoholic, is drowning his sorrows in a...

The conflict in "Babylon Revisited" would seem to be between the protagonist, Charlie—who wants to regain custody of his daughter, Honoria—and his sister-in-law, Marion, who doesn't trust him. But...

Charlie’s wife Helen died of heart trouble the causes of which were deliberated by those close to her. “Yes, heart trouble.”Marion spoke as if the phrase had another meaning for her. Helen’s...

Considering "Babylon Revisted" as one of his chefs d' oeuvres, F. Scott Fitzgerald declared to a friend : You see, I not only announced the birth of my young illusions in This Side of Paradise,...

Without doubt, the root of Honoria's name in "Babylon Revisited" carries with it significant meaning. After years of dissipation and scandalous behavior in Paris, Charlie Wales returns in the hopes...

Charlie returns to Paris after a long absence, and his return there brings back a flood of memories. One bad memory involves the time in 1929 when, after a fight, he locked his wife Helen out in...

Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited" is significant as it is a clear example of the Modernist time period. This period is considered to have taken place between the years 1900-1950. During this time,...

Charlie Wales is a competent, talented man who can make a career success by virtue of his skill, whether in America or Czechoslovakia. This success of his stems at least in part from his arrogant...

A masterpiece of a short story, "Babylon Revisited" has a title pregnant with meaning. A past filled with dissipation and amorality is visited again in the hope of atonement in the present. Charlie...

I would expect that F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited" makes use of the literary device of allusion in referring to Babylon. An allusion is a reference to a well-known person, place, event,...

This is a great question based on this excellent short story. I think to answer it we need to remember the context of what is going on here. Charlie is returning to Paris after a long absence to...

There are several parallels in the narrative of "Babylon Revisited" and F. Scott Fitzgerald's life. In fact, "Babylon Revisited" is an intensely personal story. Like Charlie and Helen, Fitzgerald...

According to a criticism written by Carlos Baker, Lord Byron's "Prisoner of Chillon" was a poem read to F. Scott Fitzgerald as a child, a poem that, most interestingly, befits Charlie Wales: A...

The title is based on an allusion to the ancient city of Babylon, which was a symbol of orgiastic decadence. Note how this fits into the plot of the short story - Charlie is returning to France for...

Fitzgerald's interweaving of the past with the present in his masterpiece story, "Babylon Revisited" is both a skillful technique which permits the reader's comprehension of more than is narrated...

Fitzgerald likely does this to inspire interest or curiosity in his readers. Sometimes, writers begin their story in the middle or even tail end of a conversation. They purposely provide no other...

The setting of "Babylon Revisited" is the 1930s, a period of hedonistic irresponsibility. A parallel is drawn between this economic period and the personal relationships in this story....

Here is one definition of sacrifice: . . . the act of deliberately following a course of action that has a high risk or certainty of suffering, personal loss or death (which could otherwise be...

This is a very astute question. Of course, by the end of the story, it is clear that Charlie has not got what he came to Paris for. Marion's decision to postpone the handing over of her niece into...

Babylon was an ancient city on the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. The Biblical Book of Genesis translates Babylon as meaning "confusion." In addition, Babylon became a city occupied by various...

The title of the story is in itself a biblical allusion: the people of ancient Babylon were known to be decadent and sinful, and were eventually punished for it. The protagonist of the story...

It seems to me that two of the strongest themes of this story are self-doubt and victimhood. Charles appears to be very intent on gaining control of his life. His past misdeeds had drastic impacts...

Two themes being explored in this story is the resilience of character, and the effects of self-imposed sabotage. In this case, the sabotage comes from engaging in drinking to excess and attending...

Fitzgerald's characters in "Babylon Revisited" give the impression of being washed out, exhausted by the past, now trying to deal with an uncertain future. The bubble has burst for Charlie Wales....

I would say that "Babylon Revisited" is, more than anything else, about how impossible it is to fully erase one's past mistakes. Indeed, it should be noted that many of the story's most important...

You seem to be slightly confused in this question. Hororia in this excellent story is the nine-year-old daughter of Charlie, and so is clearly not a "golden girl" in the same way that Judy Jones...

While religion doesn't have an explicit presence in "Babylon Revisited," the theme of redemption is nonetheless prominent. Indeed, the whole story can be seen as a depiction of one man's redemption...

The themes in "Babylon Revisited" address the nature of human existence within the context of one's ability to change and transform your life. Charlie must remain stable and sober,...

Charlie, as a recovering alcoholic tries desperately to rebuild his life after his wife's death and his time in isolation. "After Charlie was released from the sanitarium, he moved to Prague,...

Helen, and her death, is the source of the resentment between Marion and Charlie. She blames him outwardly for Helen’s death, and indirectly for her and her husband’s lack of prosperity. Marion and...

Unfortunately, the allusion to Babylon in the title of this great story does not refer to the Tower of Babel, but rather the empire of Babylon that was renowned for its decadence. Thus in this...

We are provided with two instances in the story of Marion dressed in black: First, she wears "a dignified black dinner dress that just faintly suggested mourning." A short time later, when Charlie...

Fitzgerald wrote “Babylon Revisited” in 1930, a time when he was reflecting on the vagaries of his own life. Like his character, Charlie, Fitzgerald had to face the consequences of his own...

The heart of a short story lies in its central conflict. The central conflict in "Babylon Revisited" exists between Charlie Wales, Fitzgerald's protagonist, and Marion Peters, his former...