American Literature

At the core of modernism is an absolute adherence to realistic themes. Such realism is most definitely evident in the work Babylon Revisited as F. Scott Fitzgerald presents are darkly depressing image of a man trying to recapture his fall from grace. Unfortunately, the ability to find salvation is not easy for the protagonist. This is because his attempts to correct his sins of the past are met with pure contempt from those he comes in contact with. In many ways, this could be considered a major aspect of modernist theory. There is little melodrama here and the ability to tie up the character conflicts is not performed in a manner that would be considered simplistic. Instead, the main protagonist cannot escape the brutality of the world he has created for himself.

The protagonist of the work is Charlie Wales. Charlie is the typical dysfunctional character found in many of the more morbid modernist tales of the era. He is a sad sack former alcoholic who lost all his money due to squandering during good times and had nothing to fall back on in the aftermath of the stock market crash. His wife has passed away and it is strongly hinted that the pain and stress he put her through played a large role in this occurring. He has now decided to visit Paris where he can rebuild his life. However, he cannot craft the solution he seeks and merely re-experiences the Babylon that he left behind.

The prime conflict that Charlie faces is he tries to close the past on his life. He knows his bad decisions led to his addictions, his financial ruin, and the death of his wife. While be may be a changed man now, he cannot put the guilt he feels behind himself. This is what leads to be severe internal conflict and his journey to reverse such pain is not easily achieved.

One of Charlies goals is to regain custody of his daughter Honoria. This creates another conflict within the story Can Charlie overcome the obstacles and reunite with his daughter. Such a conflict also presents another underlying theme within the conflict. Specifically, can Charlie quell the demons of his past and right his wrongs by re-establishing a relationship with his daughter. Of course, there are obstacles to such goals and the modernist approach to literature eliminates the much of the syrupy melodrama inherent with more soap operatic tales. No, in Fitzgeralds world of Babylon Revisited we see a far more dark and realistic look at the fall of a man. Does he  get what he deserves No, he simply exists in a world his own creation which is another common theme of modernism.