“…He was curious to see Paris by night with clearer and more judicious…”:The Relevance of the Title “Babylon Revisited” In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited”, Anonymous College

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited”, the city that Charlie revisits is Paris; however; the title of the story is “Babylon Revisited”. The title is a Biblical allusion that draws parallels between the things that transpired in the Ancient Babylon and Charlie’s life Paris. The title “Babylon Revisited” is pertinent for the reason that it presents ethical inferences on Charlie’s life. Visiting Paris makes Charlie reminiscent of the reckless life (the recklessness can be equalled to that which was pervasive in Babylon before God smashed it) that he had lived there.

F. Scott Fitzgerald writes, “He (Charlie) remembered thousand-franc notes given to an orchestra for playing a single number, hundred-franc notes tossed to a doorman for calling a cab.” Charlie lived lavishly in Paris before he moved to Prague. He was not cautious on how he expended his money because he could not anticipate the crash. After the crash, Charlie modifies his spending habits. Furthermore, Charlie had overindulged himself while in Paris. The overindulgence can be equated to that of the Babylonians. F. Scott Fitzgerald gives a hint to Charlie’s overconsumption when he writes that Charlie’s life in Paris was typified by “champagne dinners and long...