If it weren't for the title, I wonder if Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited" (1931) would have received as much acclaim as it did. "Babylon" isn't even mentioned in the story. Without the title and what it implies, it's just a child custody drama, like something you'd see nowadays on any talk show.
With "Babylon" symbolizing living in excess, however, we realize the story is really looking back on the excess of the Roaring Twenties from the more sober days of the Great Depression. Charlie Wales lived recklessly, spent his money furiously, and thought money could buy everything. Then he suddenly lost everything: his money, his child, and his wife. He managed to regain his money, but his wife is dead and his child is in an in-law's custody. He'll never get his life back. Money can't buy everything after all.
We've all had our own little Babylon experiences: college days, a wild party, or a reckless joyride, for example. It's human nature to get caught up in exciting times, and when we do, it's easy to make mistakes and not know it. It's a wonder so many of us survive! We eventually get over most of our mistakes, but some are just too big. For those we have to live with the consequences, like Charlie Wales in "Babylon Revisited".
References:
"Babylon Revisited". Short Stories, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ed. Steve Thomas. eBooks@Adelaide. 2009. web 2011.Thomas A. Larson, M.A. "Babylon Revisited: A Long Expostulation and Explanation". 1995,1998-2000.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Babylon Revisited.” SparkNotes LLC. 2007.
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