Summary Of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'Babylon Revisited'

New is Not Always the Best
During the 1920’s, the morals of many people changed dramatically. F. Scott Fitzgerald shows this in the story he wrote in 1930 called “Babylon Revisited”. In the story Charlie, the protagonist, reflects on his old life living in the “new morality” and works hard to achieve the “old morality” to get his daughter back. Charlie has obstacles thrown at him including his old party friends and his past wife’s family. In Fitzgerald’s life, he lived the “new morality” to the fullest while partying and drinking every night. Before long, his wife was in rehab and he was writing stories to try to keep his family supported. The story reflects on his own life in many ways. The characters each stand behind either the “new morality”

Her sister asks her to take care of her child, Honoria, before she passes away because Charlie was in rehab for drinking. Once Charlie attempts to come and get Honoria to bring her back home with him, Marion’s morals shine bright. From the time Charlie locked his wife out of the house, Marion has not liked Charlie: “With each remark the force of her dislike became more and more apparent. She had built up all her fear of life into one wall and faced it toward him” (707). Fitzgerald reminds us this by stating, “she had lived for a long time with a prejudice- a prejudice founded on a curious disbelief in her sister’s happiness, and which, in the shock of one terrible night, had turned to hatred for him” (707). It begins with Marion wearing all black to remind Charlie of the death she thinks he caused. While conversing with Marion, Charlie lets a cuss word slip out and Marion responds by saying, “Please don’t swear at me” (707). You can tell that she is extremely conservative because a simple cuss word shakes her world. She also believes in working hard for her money and not getting it from lying and cheating: “I think Marion felt there was some kind of injustice in it- you not even working toward the end, and getting richer and richer” (709). Fitzgerald gives an example of not working hard for money in an excerpt from “Echoes of the Jazz Age” by stating, “It bore him up, flattered him and gave him more money than he had dreamed of, simply for telling people that he felt as they did, that something had to be done with all the nervous energy stored up and unexpended in the War” (713). Marion is very hesitant giving Honoria back to Charlie because of her strict values. She does not trust him and she thinks that he will start abusing alcohol again. Her old morals stay stiff and she does not let Charlie bring