Character Analysis & Theme: Charlie Wales from Babylon Revisited Anonymous College

Babylon Revisited by F Scott Fitzgerald tells the story of father Charlie Wales trying to regain custody of his daughter, Honoria, seven years after the death of his wife. He has spent that time working to be a better man for himself, for his late wife, and for his daughter. However, his past life of frivolous, abusive alcoholism and materialism, as well as being an indirect cause of his wife’s death, hinders his ability to reclaim his daughter. He is faced with having to prove to his sister-in-law, Marion, that he is capable of caring for his daughter after all this time. While it is no doubt he has grown adept once more, his past manifests in the form of strangers from his past. Marion’s suspended uncertainty of Charlie releases itself, and he is prevented from being with Honoria. Although Charlie doesn’t achieve what he set out for, he continues trying to prove to himself and others he is a changed man. Redemption is a major theme in the story, as well as a major aspect of Charlie’s character.

Charlie is a man of redemption. In his 20s, he and his wife lived in Paris with the support of Charlie’s small fortune. The two travelled Europe together with financial abandon which was soon to collapse. Charlie specifically...