Essay Sample Analyzing Babylon Revisited by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Thesis statement: it is not possible for an individual to escape from his past. The past life decision can affect our destiny.

"Babylon Revisited" is a story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald that reflected on his personal experience, including his relationship with his wife. The story was written at a period of emotional and economic crisis. The tone of the story can be described as thoughtful as well as retrospective. The main character, Charlie Wales is presented as a onetime wealth playboy whose actions resulted in the death of his wife (Gale). His excess actions can be directly attributable to alcoholism. Charles spent a better portion of his life at the sanitarium while his daughter was placed at the custodianship of his sister in law. Charlie later established himself as one of the most successful businessmen. Despite his financial success, Charlie was longing for one main thing, that is, to reclaim his daughter. However, his new goal in life would be faced with some challenges. The most significant challenge was to regain the confidence of his sister-in-law and his husband Marion and Lincoln Peters.

The story also presents the economic conditions present both before and after the character's transformation. According to the story, Marion and his husband Lincoln have never been as wealthy as Charles and his late wife, Helen. Marion, therefore, seemed to be envious and resentful of the previous life trends of Charles which included some levels of extravagance and alcoholism. Marion seemed to retain bitterness about the death of her sister. The story, therefore, presents both family and economic conflicts. The story was written in 1930, a period of depression after a great stock market crash of 1929. According to the writer, the main character looked back with disgust, to remember the extravagant period of the 1920s. The writer describes the period during the 1920s as a period of wastefulness and extravagant to highlight the theme of financial and economic conditions. While such periods of time presents individuals with an opportunity for growth and prosperity, the main character in the story spent this period for personal destruction. The story also suggests that the main character lost a lot of money in the stock market due to short selling. The writer, therefore, manages to present advice that stork short selling can turn into a wrong idea.

The story also demonstrates the writer's ability to present major economic and financial themes that affect our daily lives. The story is written immediately after a time of the stock market crash. The writer remembers his time during the extravagant days. However, apart from the financial success opportunities he wasted during the stock market crash, he also lost everything he would have wished for. He, therefore, identifies two types of wealth, one financial and economic and the second as a family which includes the late wife and the daughter. The story also raises the theme of drugs and alcoholism. The writer is undoubtedly an alcoholic. The alcoholic behaviors can be identified as a major cause of his marriage and family problems. His reforms can be doubted due to his drinking habits to take one drink per day despite his reformation. The story associates drugs and alcohol with financial wastages, parties and self-destruction habits. The story also raises the theme of transformation. According to the story, Charlie the main character is working hard in an attempt to turn round his life. However, his moderate drinking habits and revisiting palace leaves leaders doubting his ability to achieve reformation goals. Charles visit to Paris also raises another theme about memories of the past. The story reminds leaders of Charles previous behaviors, including his troubled marriage due to alcohol problems. The story offers the writer an opportunity to ask questions related to the ability of individuals to change and time required atoning past behaviors.

Despite the themes presented, the story has received a share of criticism due to its ambiguity in the presentation. However, the ambiguity can be considered by some leaders as its strength. The story seemed to have a sophisticated structure. The sophisticated structure is evidenced by the use of imagery pendulum and swing. The story, therefore, indicates the possibility of flaws in its structure (Malmgren, p. 81-95). The story also seems to comprise traces of pop fictions melodramas. Another criticism related to the time selected by the writer to present his story. The writer includes the theme of financial wastages due to drugs and alcoholic nature of the character. However, the story is presented at a time when most of the readers are experiencing the great economic depression. The readers are therefore enduring a hard life. For that reason, his piece of work is rendered as irrelevant in the opinion of some readers.

Despite the few critics', "Babylon Revisited" can be regarded as one of the finest stories written in the 20th century. The dramatization of the father to daughter relationship presented in the story deserves more praises. The writer could also be praised for the interesting use of metaphors and images such as doors, locks, and bars.

Works cited

Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for F. Scott Fitzgerald's" Babylon Revisited." Gale, Cengage Learning, 2016.

Malmgren, Carl D. "Revisiting "Babylon Revisited": A Critical Retrospective." The F. Scott Fitzgerald Review 15.1 (2017): 81-95.