F. Scott Fitzgerald s Babylon Revisited - 1172 Words

Knowing the historical context of a work is crucial to understanding both its general meaning and its deeper essence. Often times, authors use their works as outlets to freely express their personal feelings toward a social trend or issue. As such, the time in which a story is written can have a strong influence on the message the author is trying to convey to his or her reader. Their personal reflections can be asserted in many ways; among the most common being through the characters themselves and their development throughout the work, the setting, and the implied themes. An example of a work that is heavily influenced by the time period in which it was written is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story â€Å"Babylon Revisited.† Set in Paris during the 1920s, this work delineates the story of a man named Charlie Wales who was at the pinnacle of his life when he succumbed to greed, irresponsibility, and addiction. As a result of his carelessness, Wales experiences a tragic downfall. He not only endures the death of his wife Helen, but he also loses his material fortune, his reputation, and— most importantly— the custody of his daughter Honoria. The time in which this story occurs— the 1920s— is vital to the plot. Dubbed â€Å"The Roaring ‘20s,† this period is notorious for glamorizing lifestyles centered around materialism, gluttony, and self-absorption. The early 20th century brought about extreme social and political changes that influenced the lifestyles and attitudes of the public.Show MoreRelatedF. Scott Fitzgerald s Babylon Revisited943 Words   |  4 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald’s â€Å"Babylon Revisited† is a touching and intense short story about a man name Charlie who faced issued in his past and resorted to excessive consumption of alcohol and an immature lifestyle. However, Charlie wants to let the past go and is determine to remain sober and continue his life with his daughter Honoria who he has lost custody of. What may have led Charlie to become an alcoholic were his complications with his finances and marital issues. â€Å"Alcoholics families† sufferRead MoreAna lysis Of F. Scott Fitzgerald s Babylon Revisited 1180 Words   |  5 PagesIn Babylon Revisited, F. Scott Fitzgerald introduces the reader to a character by the name of Charlie Wales. The reader learns that Charlie is a recovering alcoholic hoping to reestablish a relationship with his daughter, Honoria. Fitzgerald shows evolvement through the character of Charlie Wales. When readers are first introduced to Charlie, he is on his way to visit his daughter. Honoria has been living with her Aunt Marion and Uncle Lincoln after the death of Helen, Honoria’s mother and Charlie’sRead MoreAnalysis : Babylon Revisited By F. Scott Fitzgerald And Sonny s Blues Essay1316 Words   |  6 Pagesaddiction can be an agonizing and insufferable adventure anyone can ever face. It usually starts small with a â€Å"I’ll try it once†, then eventually becomes a fully developed addiction. In Babylon Revisited by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin, b oth poems portray blindness verses sight. Babylon Revisited is about a man named Charles Wales who returns to Paris and is on a mission to regain custody of his daughter while being blinded by his addictions whereas Sonny’s Blues is about a narratorRead MoreAn Analysis Of Edith Wharton s Roman Fever And F. Scott Fitzgerald s Babylon Revisited Essay1315 Words   |  6 Pageswith conflict. People use deceit, manipulation and even other people as a way of creating conflict. The same way these things happen in real life, the same happens with characters in literature. In Edith Wharton’s â€Å"Roman Fever and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s â€Å"Babylon Revisited†, characters do the strange thing of using their own children as a way of pushing other others into their past, a method to hurt them. Here we will observe the roles of children in each story and how they are used by other charactersRead MoreAnalysis Of Babylon Revisited By F. Scott Fitzgerald2140 Words à ‚  |  9 PagesJosephine Camus Vernon English 1302.05 March 24, 2015 Babylon Revisited Though the shimmering street lights, aroma of spells and endeavors, and heart of the world is believed to rest in the city of Paris, Charlie Wales proves that no place on Earth is as perfect as described. Paris served as a bragging right, a place that only the wealthiest Americans can savor what they thought was their guilt-free pleasures, despite sacrificing all of theirRead MoreThe Babylon Revisited : Transformation, Memory, And The Past. F. Scott Fitzgerald2227 Words   |  9 Pages Babylon Revisited: Transformation, Memory, and the Past F. Scott Fitzgerald s story is called Babylon Revisited because the main character Charlie Wales is going to revisit his past. The ancient city of Babylon was almost like a sin city but in this story it refers to Paris, France. As described in the Bible in Genesis 11:9, Babylon was a symbol caused by the absence of God, meaning they were living in confusion, idolatry and all kind of sins. The Babylonian people were affected by sins becauseRead MoreEssay about Jay Gatsby and the American Dream882 Words   |  4 Pagesbuy, what they believe, will truly make them happy. In the majority of cases, this is known as the American Dream. In â€Å"The Great Gatsby† by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is a man that comes up from nothing and becomes involved in criminal activity to live out his version of the American Dream. Gatsby’s case is similar to Charlie Wales from â€Å"Babylon Revisited†, in that he discovers that there is more to the dream then the money and the d ream is not always going to live up to the expectations he hasRead MoreThe House of Mirth and Babylon Revisited Novel Comparisson1167 Words   |  5 Pagesbrought about simply through life, or fate. Since tragedy is so common among humanity, an author can create an immediate connection between the reader and the story through use of tragedy. Both The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton and â€Å"Babylon Revisited† by F. Scott Fitzgerald use the main characters, Lily and Charlie, to portray a theme of tragedy brought about by fate, which is relatable to every person who has experienced loss in their life. In The House of Mirth Lily Bart, the main character is aRead MoreSetting Is The Most Versatile Device An Author1454 Words   |  6 Pagesaims to capture the essence and sometime social aspects of a period in time. In a given story, setting can serve a purpose to develop a story in a certain way or be used to accomplish and multitude of objectives. Setting offers context to a character s’ surroundings which can then led to further insight into a variety of relevant themes or moments. Closely examining the setting often enables the reader to visualize where the story takes place, better understand why characters act in a certain way andRead More Connecting Babylon Revisited, My Life, and the Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald2600 Words   |  11 Pagesnot. Attention should be given to both the technical points of the writing and the authors biography. Take, for example, F. Scott Fitzgeralds Babylon Revisited. At first glance, the story wasnt that hard to understand, so it was a good opportunity to study a piece of 20th century American literature in a deeper way.      Babylon Revisited is often credited for being one of Fitzgeralds greatest short stories. As Professor Jackson Bryer states on a web site