Babylon Revisited

“Babylon Revisited,” by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a short story that employs the techniques of Literary Modernism to tackle complex themes of The Quest for Personal Redemption, The Haunting Power of the Past, and The Fragility of Personal Reform. First published on February 21, 1931, in The Saturday Evening Post, the story is a reflective journey through the eyes of Charlie Wales, a remorseful man endeavoring to reclaim the pieces of a life shattered by excess and loss.

Unlike The Great Gatsby, which revels in the glitz of its era before revealing its hollowness, “Babylon Revisited” is imbued with a sense of reflection and sobriety. A reformed and repentant figure in the narrative, Charlie seeks to regain custody of his daughter, Honoria Wales, who is in the care of his sister-in-law, Marion Peters, after the death of his wife, Helen Wales.

This guide refers to the version of the text that is freely available on the Project Gutenberg Australia website.

Content Warning: This story discusses alcoholism.

Fitzgerald uses third person limited omniscient point of view to focus on Charlie. His wife, Helen, has recently died, and Charlie is recovering from the alcohol addiction that contributed to his family’s downfall. Now, Charlie is attempting to gain custody of his daughter, Honoria. He feels that his intentions to reform are pure but his past deeds cast long shadows and exert a strong power over him. At the beginning of the story, he’s back in Paris, not for the hedonism that once defined him but for the sake of his daughter, illustrating a personal transformation that stands in stark contrast to the excesses of his past. He says, “I’m going slow these days” (Paragraph 11).

Charlie takes his daughter to a restaurant—the only one he can think of that doesn’t remind him of his former lifestyle. While there, Honoria repeatedly asks him why she cannot live with him, though she is content with the care of her aunt and uncle. Charlie, unable to tell her the truth, explains that she has better opportunities in her current living situation. Honoria isn’t convinced and continues to press. Charlie asks her if she thinks about her mother and tells her that her mother loved her very much.

Old acquaintances, Lorraine and Duncan, intrude upon their time together at the restaurant. Both of them still live in the fast lane and are reminders of his previous failings. In front of Honoria, they reference their united past and jokingly discuss Charlie’s sobriety. They ask for Charlie’s address, and he refuses to give it. Once Lorraine and Duncan have left, Charlie remains moved by Honoria’s insistence that she wants to be with him.

Marion, Honoria’s aunt and guardian, is skeptical of Charlie’s reformation. Marion cannot forget the night Charlie locked Helen out in the snow, leading to her illness and eventual death. Charlie is willing to explain himself and discuss the night, but Marion won’t hear an explanation. Charlie’s sobriety and successful business are not enough to erase the damage done. Charlie admits that he cannot guarantee he will never fall into old habits again, but that he intends not to and will do what it takes to be a good father to Honoria.

Marion tentatively agrees to transfer custody of Honoria, swayed by Charlie’s apparent stability and her husband Lincoln’s pragmatism. As Charlie prepares to take in Honoria, who is delighted to be soon living with her father, he encounters a significant obstacle when his former friends, Lorraine and Duncan, drunkenly intrude upon a family gathering. He is unsure of where they obtained the address. This reminds Marion of Charlie’s reckless past. The unexpected appearance of Lorraine and Duncan at the Peters’ home, which causes distress and outrage, leads Marion to revoke her decision, leaving Charlie bereft and alone.