By The Waters Of Babylon Analysis

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By the Waters of Babylon takes place in a post-apocalyptic New York. John is priest who collects metal from “Dead Places” homes. The author hints the location of the places by describing some monumental objects. John’s observation of “Ashing” (George Washington) and “Ubtreas” (Subtreasury building), suggestion that it may have been a modern city. These clues are subtle, but noticeable, allowing the reader to infer that the location is not the past, but future of someplace we are familiar with.
“I tried to think of my knowledge, nut it was a squirrel’s heap of winter nuts”, he compares his knowledge to a pile of nuts. All he has learned and experience means nothing to the situation that he is facing. He has plenty of thoughts, but it has no use to his journey at that moment. He describes the towers “like great trees in a forest”, which continues to stand among the ruins.
The point of view is of John’s, who is not informed of the past and what has happened to the “Place of the Gods”. Since it is from John’s point of view, we do not understand the observations he makes right away because it is his thoughts and his assumptions. If we could clearly see what he saw then we would recognize the place right away.
The metals they collect represent the people’s superstition, which only the priests can collect. It comes from the fact that the metals were radioactive and dangerous because of the nuclear blasts. The people who picked up the radioactive metal and had not died were deemed as priests.
The destroyed buildings and statues represent human’s self-destruction. The cities were built by man, and such mayhem can only be caused by man, thus we realize our demise results from our own actions.
John’s realization of the old buildings being p...

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...ey think and believe it is filled with gods. Same as Allegory of the Cave, the people in the cave see the shadows as reality, when they are just puppets. They also do not know of true light and where the shadows originate.
By the Waters of Babylon is in the stage of back to spiritual faith and great courage. The fall of New York was during selfishness to apathy. John grows up to become a priest, guided by his father and learns to collect metals.
• John sees various signs and dreams about going to the “Place of the Gods”.
• On a treacherous journey to the place, he encounters various things from different animals and works of the gods.
• Finally, after
• seeing the gods’ home, he realizes the place was inhabited by humans, just like him.
• He tells his father, and wants to tell everyone else, but his father tells him it will be hard to tell the people the truth.

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