Babylon Revisited
Francis Scott Fitzgerald put himself into his writings, both literally and figuratively, and this is certainly true for "Babylon Revisited"; very few studies of his life find it possible to ignore the story as being something representative of Fitzgerald or his times. Any biographical study, then, serves in itself as background material for an understanding of "Babylon Revisited." The intention here is to recognize those elements from Fitzgerald's life that had the most direct bearing in the composition of "Babylon Revisited," without overburdening the study with those more general biographical aspects that have been treated in depth elsewhere.Composed in 1931 and published in 1935, "Babylon Revisited" is "the story of a man whose failure to understand the tyranny of time and the subversive properties of money results in a tragic defeat" (Cowart 27). The story's main character, Charlie Wales, attempts to get back on track with the American Dream after his wife's death, the stock market crash of 1929, and a difficult battle with alcoholism. He becomes a businessman in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and returns to Paris in an attempt to regain custody of his daughter, Honoria. Honoria is Charlie's last hope of re-establishing his family
He wrote, "You have earned some money for me this week because I sold 'Babylon Revisited,' in which you are a character, to the pictures (the sum received wasn't worthy of the magnificent story--neither of you nor of me--however, I am accepting it. The locales of Paris cited in "Babylon Revisited" were places with which Fitzgerald was most assuredly familiar, and many are briefly noted in his Ledger. So after reading about the life of Fitzgerald and the economic times it easy to make a comparison between that of his life and the short story "Babylon Revisited. Rather unluckily, some former drinking companions burst in as final arrangements are being made, and at the end it is clear that Charlie will have to wait a while longer before he recovers Honoria and his honor. However, the child is under the legal guardianship of Charlie's sister-in-law, Marion Peters, who rigidly holds Charlie's past against him, and her husband, Lincoln. At the beginning, he finds that the Ritz bar, once his hangout, no longer possesses the same flamboyance and excess that he had associated with it. His parents did not record their feelings, but he would later associate the event with his future career: "Well, three months before I was born, my mother lost her other two children and I think that came first of all although I don't know how it worked exactly. life, for she is still forgiving and trusting at the innocent age of nine. Fitzgerald's unsteady financial situation paralleled Charlie's. No matter how hard he tries, he can't please her. He becomes an alcoholic, his wife ultimately dies (partly as a result of his thoughtlessness), and he loses possession of his daughter. Not even a dramatic turn would impress her because she is so sick and tired of all these wild drunken Parisians. Even in 1931, two years after the stock market crash and well into the Great Depression, Fitzgerald's writing earned nearly $40,000. The turmoil that Fitzgerald went through in 1930--with Zelda breaking down, his separation from not only Zelda but also Scottie, and Rosalind's suggestion that Scottie reside with the Smiths, along with his own alcoholic tendencies--suggested for Fitzgerald the story he would tell (Milford 2). Sadly, even though he has reformed, his mistakes are irreparable.
Common topics in this essay:
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Acceptance Essays
