Babylon Revisited

A detailed Summary of 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

"Babylon Revisited" sprang from F. Scott Fitzgerald's own emotions and experiences. Clearly Fitzgerald himself, Zelda, their daughter Scottie, and in-laws Rosalind and Newman Smith all emerge in Charlie, Helen, Honoria, Marion and Lincoln, respectively. 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).

The unsteady financial burdens, the human loss, and the alcoholism all parallel the main character Charlie. 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."

Fitzgerald's own opinion of the story is recorded in a boastful note to his daughter Scottie in a letter dated January 25, 1940. 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.)" (Letters to his daughter par 4).

Human loss also greatly influenced Fitzgerald's life and is perhaps the most striking theme in his fiction. Tragedy struck before Scott (Fitzgerald) was born when his two sisters, ages one and three, died in an epidemic. 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. I think I started then to be a writer" (Donaldson 20). A third baby died in 1900, but in July 1901, his sister Annabel was born.

There is also an abundance of symbolism in the story's title, which testifies to Charlie's exile. The image that

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Approximate Word count = 1315
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English