Examination of Scott Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited”

Authors often write about perspectives which relate to their own personal life views and experiences.  The following examines F. Scott Fitzgerald's literature offering, “Babylon Revisited” by relating it to the historical, social, cultural, or political situations in which it was written to show how the author was influenced by personal experiences, events, prevailing attitudes, or contemporary values. Fitzgerald’s writings prove how art often imitates the realities of life as the underlying themes and challenges in his offering closely parallel those of his personal experiences and perspectives. Babylon Revisited is based on Fitzgerald’s own life story of how riches and regret affected his life and his ability to care for his child and get along with his family. His own personal experiences and real-life events caused him to view the world as a series of ebbs and flows which could not be predicted or contained.

Historical

The Wall Street Crash of 1929 is often referred to as Black Tuesday because it signaled a dark day and a dark decade ahead. Before the devastating market crash in the United States, the 20’s was a historic time of wealth and prosperity. Many believed that the prosperity and inflation of the stock market would continue indefinitely. Consumers took advantage of the easy credit of the market and spent lavishly without thought to a possible decline. This historical crisis is depicted severely in Fitzgerald’s writing. He makes many references to the rise of the stock market as well as its eventual crash, noting “It went as fast as it came” (Perkins 229). The success of the United States Stock market made international businessmen and many people in other countries rich as well. The author drives this point by describing the significant change in Paris’ consumerism despite the fact that the market crash was in the U.S. This historical rise and fall of prosperity and the U.S. stock market allowed the author to understand and appreciate the invaluable things in life such as relationships and family. He uses this personal experience to write about the plight of attempting to attain custody of his child after giving up his rights. This provides a parallel to his own realization that the distractions of “high life” were futile in comparison to having a stable household and relationship with his daughter. 

Social and Cultural

The “roaring 20’s” was a significantly social time characterized by increased partying and entertaining during the almost decade long period of sustained economic prosperity in Europe and North America. Set in the “Jazz Age”, the time of wealth of the 1920’s caused many people to take their financial stability and wealth for granted, spending it excessively (Allen 1). Social standards for appearance were high and resulted in a large-scale growth of the use of cars, telephones and electricity. Amid unprecedented growth and increased consumerism, lifestyle and cultural changes shaped the era. Fitzgerald’s story embodies this social structure as he describes how old friends visit one another. In it he describes how two old friends showed up at the protagonist’s house uninvited. This suggests that the social norm of the time was to drop in on friends, thus assuming they would be available for socializing or going out. As a result of the wealth of the era, a luncheon social could end at twilight with rampant partying and drinking. Fitzgerald is effective in reflecting the social standards of the time while putting them in a context which closely reflects his own life. 

The name of the story is an ironic reflection of Fitzgerald’s experience. While “Babylon in popular culture is synonymous with a large bustling and prosperous city, the protagonist’s return to Paris reflected an empty and still environment. This is similar to Fitzgerald and the protagonist’s life as it was once filled with happiness and relationships but has been limited with depression and strained affairs.

As the moniker suggests, the “Jazz Age” was a cultural time of a large focus on trombonists, saxophone players, dancers and art.  The prevailing attitudes of the time focused on the importance of appearance and social gatherings to display wealth and enjoy the artistic joys of life. The protagonist in Fitzgerald’s story was so taken away by this prevailing attitude that he allowed it to become more important than the stability of his family. This directly relates to Fitzgerald’s own life and his regret of allowing contemporary social values to undermine family values. 

Political

The end of World War I made it easy for people to focus on celebrities, cinemas and sports heroes instead of the distraction of the war. In addition, Laissez-faire politics supporting a free market may have supported the stock market inflation and eventual crash (Klingaman 16). This type of freedom and laid-back politics bled into the social and cultural perspectives of the era as well. The political nature of this era was extremely progressive. Women gained the right to vote and increased democracy led to a minimization of government interference. This supported the individual values of wealth and prosperity because it aligned with the political pride in Europe and America. It is apparent the author was influenced by the freedom and progression of this political era. The protagonist made many decisions based on the political climate of the decade which was based on freedom and little oversight. This parallels with the poor decision making of Fitzgerald based on the real-life events of his personal experiences. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, in writing “Babylon Revisited” it is apparent that Fitzgerald was directly influenced by his own personal experiences and events. In addition, the prevailing attitudes and contemporary values of the 1920’s era provided a platform for his understanding and perceptions of life and its ups and downs. As the protagonist’s experiences embody the experiences and events of Fitzgerald’s own life, he provides readers with direct access to his thoughts and feelings through the story. It may have been a healing process for Fitzgerald to reflect his own regrets and concerns through a character in a story. 

As evidenced in the story’s references to the bustling age of the 1920’s the author was significantly impacted by the historical, social, and cultural influence of the era. It shaped his mindset, business decisions, and spending habits. It also directly affected his ability to maintain sobriety and manage familial relationships responsibly. All of these real-life regrets and perceptions were successfully developed in the story through the life of the protagonist. In the end, like in his own life, the protagonist failed to achieve his goal. This reflects the realism and heavy nature of Fitzgerald’s perception about life as a result of his dark experiences. The sentiments of the 1920’s impacted Fitzgerald’s life, and Fitzgerald in turn translated that impact to the protagonist’s view of life and regret. 

Works Cited

Allen, Frederick Lewis. Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the Nineteen-Twenties. 1931.

Klingaman, William, 1929: The Year of the Great Crash. New York: Harper & Row. 1989. Print

Perkins. American Literature Since the Civil War. McGraw-Hill. 2011. Print