Notes from 9/21 Class

Themes found in the story:

 

·         Facing the consequences of one’s actions

·         The struggle to change

Symbols found in the story:

·         Honoria’s doll

·         Snow

 

1)   Explain Charlie's view of his own actions, his return to Paris, and his alcoholism.

 

2)   As readers, are we supposed to be on Marion's side, or on Charlie's side? Pick a side and explain.

 

3)   Explain the following quotes: "I heard that you lost a lot in the crash."

"I did," and he added grimly, "but I lost everything I wanted in the boom” (18).

“He would come back some day; they couldn't make him pay forever. But he wanted his child, and nothing was much good now, beside that fact.  He wasn't young any more, with a lot of nice thoughts and dreams to have by himself.  He was absolutely sure Helen wouldn't have wanted him to be so alone” (19).

4)    Symbolism is important in literature; what is symbolic about Helen’s death? Lorraine and Duncan?

 

“Babylon Revisited”: Similarity to The Great Gatsby

In both works, the main character is trying to create a new identity.

In the case of Jay Gatsby, he has reinvented himself by a name change and by becoming rich through criminal acts to win Daisy.

In Charlie’s instance, he has made a serious effort to reform to gain custody of Honoria.

Both The Great Gatsby and “Babylon Revisited” are also statements about the twenties, the pursuit of wealth and careless living of that generation. Gatsby’s pursuit of wealth, hoping it will bring him happiness and fulfillment, is the embodiment of the American Dream gone wrong. “Babylon Revisited” makes a statement not only about Charlie’s his personal dilemma but the irresponsible seeking of pleasure that was characteristic of the post-war Roaring Twenties generation.

It was in this spirit that Fitzgerald wrote one of his most frequently quoted lines: “There are no second acts in American lives.”

It is a lone sentence, without context, found among the pages for a novel he never finished. Yet journalists often quote it when writing about failure. The phrase has been widely interpreted to mean that America gives no second chances. The value of the statement rests on its being written by Fitzgerald, who is presumably something of an authority on lost opportunities (Nilsson).