Babylon Revisited Themes
Wealth
"Babylon Revisited" takes place in 1930, just after the devastating stock market crash of 1929. Fitzgerald looks back with disgust (and, in one reading of "Babylon Revisited," not without a bit of...
Drugs and Alcohol
It's no secret that F. Scott Fitzgerald was a heavy drinker, or that his wife Zelda blamed his drinking for the problems in their marriage and her eventual psychological problems. Fitzgerald explor...
Visions of America
Though "Babylon Revisited" is set in Paris, it is very much an American story. The plot revolves around American expatriate Charlie Wales who, after the stock market crash of 1929, looks back with...
Transformation
"Babylon Revisited" is a story of atonement and redemption. Main character Charlie Wales has returned to Paris, the site of his former wasteful, self-destructive, and extravagant 1920s life. In 193...
Memory and the Past
"Babylon Revisited" is a story of atoning for past mistakes. Main character Charlie Wales visits Paris, the site of his former extravagant and self-destructive lifestyle, with newly sobered eyes, a...