Babylon Revisited

“Babylon Revisited” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a fascinating story with many themes. It is about an American man named Charlie Wales. He recently returned to Paris after the stock market crash of 1929. He had previously been in Paris with his deceased wife and had a past of major partying. Charlie is back now attempting to regain custody of his daughter, Honoria, who is staying with his wife’s sister and her family. Marion, his wife’s sister, is very angry with Charlie and does not want Honoria to live with him. He almost convinces her to allow the custody of his daughter when old partying friends show up at their house. The story ends by going to the Ritz bar where he has his one-drink-a-day and sadly begins to plan what he can do before he gets his daughter back.

The first theme seen in this story is that the past shapes the present. The memory of it is unable to be escaped. No matter how much Charlie tries to convince Lincoln and Marion that he has changed, they cannot forget what he had done before. Not only can they not forget the memory, but his past follows him. For example, Charlie’s old friends show up a few times in the story. They cannot be escaped and change Charlie’s present – he could not take his daughter.

The second theme is transformation. This is almost the same as the first. Throughout the story, Charlie is attempting to turn his life around. His past follows him, but he is experiencing some transformation. For example, his loss of money caused him to rethink his decisions. He no longer parties and will only allow himself to have one drink a day. He also cut off all of his old friends. The difference between the first theme and the second is that Charlie himself is beginning to transform; the outside world is what has not.

The third theme is family. In his past is his wife. In his present is his daughter and his wife’s family. His life as told in the story has always been centered around family – whether he was making good decisions at that point in his life or not. Even greater than the theme of family, though, is the theme of paternal love. Fitzgerald shows the readers that the love of fathers and daughters is pure. For example, Charlie had gone to America for many months. When he came back, though, his daughter still wanted to live with him, be with him, and call him Daddy. This love is also contrasted to the marital love. Charlie and Helen fought; they abused each other; Helen kissed other men; Lincoln and Marion have financial and familial difficulties. However, Honoria and Charlie have a love for each other that is unadulterated. Paternal love is the greatest kind of love.

The past, transformation, and family are all themes in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited”.

Reaper

Toomer’s “Reaper” reflected the Modernists concepts of that time. Modernist literature was popular from roughly the 1910’s to the 1960’s. It was based on the industrialization and globalization in that time. Usually, modernist writing took a negative outlook on these changes. It caused people of that time to question what humanity was coming to – it saw a decline in civilization. Today, we see technology as beneficial; the next form of technology is received with excitement. At that time, however, Modernists only saw technology as cold machinery. They believed that it “alienated the individual and led to loneliness”. Much of this negative writing was done speaking of the inner self and continuing the use of stream of consciousness. It also used irony, satire, and many comparisons. Many say “this can all add up to feel like the story is going no where” (“What are the characteristics…”) This negative aspect of the new technology of the time period is clearly seen in this story.

“Black reapers with the sound of steel on stones

Are sharpening scythes. I see them place the hones

In their hip-pockets as a thing that's done,

And start their silent swinging, one by one.

Black horses drive a mower through the weeds,

And there, a field rat, startled, squealing bleeds,

His belly close to ground. I see the blade,

Blood-stained, continue cutting weeds and shade.” (The American Tradition in Literature 1132)

The Modernist writing is seen even the title of Toomer’s work. This is because it contrasts black reapers, the humans harvesting by hand, and machinery, compared to a Grim Reaper. A reaper can mean a machine used for harvest, a person who reaps, or Grip Reaper. “Grim Reaper” is recognized to the cloaked figure of death. The Modernist theme of death by industrialization begins in the title and continues throughout the poem.

Just as the title contrasts labor from machinery, so the rest of the poem does also. For example, the sharpening scythes aid in harvest, but can hang from the reapers’ sides without damaging them. However, the machinery murders animals, leaving them bleeding and lifeless, without noticing. The machinery simply continues.

The can also be connected to the feeling of loneliness. There are no people working together; only the black horses driving the mower. In fact, instead of the people sharing life together, the mower reduced life. The mower is connected to the feeling of loneliness.

Toomer reflects the Modernist viewpoint by making comparisons/contrasts, a negative view of industrialization, and loneliness. Even his title portrays his main point of the types of reapers: the men who reap and the deathly Grim Reapers.

Works Cited:

"What are characteristics of Modernist literature, fiction in particular?"

     CliffNotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.

     <http://www.cliffsnotes.com/cliffsnotes/history/

     what-are-characteristics-of-modernist-literature-fiction-in-particular>.