The Role Of Morals In F. Scott Fitzgerald's Babylon Revisited

The changes that took place in the 1920s were drastic in many different ways, whether they are socially, economically, or morally, many people were affected in some way. Different events, such as Prohibition or the Great Crash, played as key factors in the social change of the 1920s. The 1920s moral crisis, “took the form of a confrontation over consumers’ rights” (Mays, “Cultural” 696). In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, “Babylon Revisited”, the lifestyle and struggles of the 1920s are clearly expressed and shown in a very personal way. Although there are different types of morals displayed throughout the story, by using characters like Marion and Lorraine, the reader can see these morals and see that the old morality seems to be more valued, while

This new morality is explained as, “championed self-expression and even self-indulgence, encouraging me and women alike to flout any rule, law, or tradition that might infringe upon their individual liberty” (Mays “Cultural” 696). This morality is also interpreted by Malcolm Cowley, writer of his memoir Exile’s Return: A Literary Odyssey of the 1920s as, “the idea of liberty, the idea of female equality, the idea of changing place” (717-18) Lorraine is described by Charlie as, “one of a crowd who had helped them make months into days in the lavish times of three years ago” (704). Centered on carefree living, and living in the moment, Lorraine is basically the complete opposite of Marion. Unlike Marion, Lorraine does not have children, a husband, or the responsibility to care for others. At one point she writes to Charlie, “Everybody seems so old lately, but I don’t feel old a bit” (709). Throughout the story, Charlie reflects on different experiences and memories that he and Lorraine have shared together. In a letter she wrote to Charlie, Lorraine reminds him of these crazy memories saying, “like the night you and I [Lorraine and Charlie] stole the butcher’s tricycle, and the time we tried to call on the president” (709). Her carefree attitude, however, causes her to have little respect for what she does for others. Her actions at Marion and Lincoln’s house, as she is drunkenly asking him to come out to dinner with her, not even thinking about how she just invaded their house and