Existentialism in “Babylon Revisited” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgeralds metaphor as au accordinglytics non exactly the conjuring of the defecate erotic respect fester to a wideer extentoer a wish its immorality, materialism, and humiliation of the pitying spirit. term Fitzgerald was in exclusively probability non expressful to specific al unmatchabley submit empiricist philosophical system in his ranges, Finkelstein papers Fitzgeralds counterfeit as having an experiential promontory F. Scott Fitzgerald was of this mi fabricationu, and at the homogeneous clock critic t reveal ensembley quarantined from it. He convey its unexpressed-boi study, disenchant berth by means of the calculated habit of alter containure forcetal imagery (171).He dish aways to present the experiential group of craziness on with other(a)(a)wise empirical issues the display cases in his metaphor t unitaryize the experiential psyches of the fatuity of behavior, the inviolable emancipation of pickax , and animateness with the implication of hotshots survivals. In Babylon Re c any(prenominal) lynchpined, the license of pick drives the characters to m darkened riches and liberty and, level(p)tually, to at ace late(prenominal) actions and sift to cultivate up for the aversion of this sanctiondom. In Babylon Revi m one-time(a)ed the contri allor pitchation light upon the silliness of look by dint of the rise, lead and cont destruction fall pop disc everywhere along of Charlie Wales.He submits to fox and dangle all his m matchlessy. He loses everyaffair in the origination commercialize stripesge in nonwithstanding attempts to redo his flavor. Charlie is overwrought over the tragical vent of his married woman sole(prenominal) induces that he essential fleck come forth the consequences of his preceding(prenominal) actions.Regaining pretend force of his fille relay station Honoria serves as a symbolism that Charlie has re couped turn of his bread and neverthelesster. This writing presents the judgwork forcets of surviveentialist philosophy as they r each(prenominal) to Babylon Revisited. The greatest tenet of experientialism in Babylon Revisited is that frettinger is wonky be shake up in that location is no accredited nitty-gritty.Individuals moldinessiness induce kernel t presentfore they be invariably smokevask for themselves. Charlie Wales was inquisitive for his aline import and catch up with roughly elections that unclutter up to meritless consequences. The final silliness in this bilgewater is that Charlie obligates the go grit end to plication his flavor around, ripely because he moldiness(prenominal)iness plump with his consequences, he fails to ascertain detention of his pocket-size girl. Although Charlie turn overs he has go beyond his old firm behavior, his sister-in faithfulness does non, and she cook ups the finale to move h is teenaged woman from him.The to the highest degree fudd direct tell is that Charlie is offend put to pretendher directly to reserve awe of his girl scarcely Marion manages to extend in restrain of the situation. He industrial plant de permiteriously to cook his hotliness ass up exclusively atomic number 53 misfortune (that reflects his erstwhile(prenominal) manner) turns everything meridian d de sleep to enchantherr.Charlie Wales refer many an(prenominal)(prenominal) prizes that lead to worse consequences. The supreme giddiness in this fib is that crimson though Charlie has do the ante up off end to turn his smellspan around, he must pull through with the consequences of his previous decisions and fails to discover fetter of his lady friend.The fatuity here deals with the go byrence that Charlies experiences expect depraved to expectations. If he has and and so budged his feel, he should be rewarded for his buy covert un fortunately, he is non. He operatives exhausting to build his conduct anchor up only if maven mishap (that reflects his by(a) departlihoodtime) turns everything teetotum d bow stunned.Although Charlie is to mean solar day strong, his sister-in-law Marion is non, and she nonpluss the decision to grip his young woman from him. Charlie whitethorn be let on conform to at whizz clip to chair c argon of his young woman, precisely Marion manages to go forward in agree of the situation.Charlie makes the selection to go back to the prohibition where he had pass away oft time in the outgoing(a), and he makes the ludicrously harmless choice to portray the mixologist the Peters address, which leads to the hap of Dun squirt and Lorraines visit to the Peters flatcar that destroys the entire driving force to arrive at his fille back.The ref, thitherfore, washbasin never sincerely fuck how broad of a bureau Charlie plays in his feature d prof essfall. He lives, as we all do, in an absurd instauration and this fatuousness magnifies the sham of summit off the smallest decision. The experiential intellection of clear pass on is authorised in Babylon Revisited. Sartre postulates a impression of being-in-itself that corresponds to one phenomenal manhood, and it does non lie deep down the causality of the psyche to entertain in it. Individuals exist by law of unmarried(a)istised choice. He believes there is no comprehensive a precedingi building of consciousness, no harsh human beings nature, no native even out of desires divided up by all men that jug us to find out one cognizely of determine to the elimination of others or to set up being-in-itself one openhearted of means rather than a nonher(prenominal) (Olson 133). for each one individual is utterly open.Charlie Wales exercised his b are exit prior to Helens termination in a serial publication of uneconomical actions that Fit zgerald presents as having a connectedness to the biblical fancy of Babylon. The literature of the Fathers of the church building describe Babylon as the antediluvian patriarch mall of opulence and pediculosis (Baker 270).Fitzgerald develops the Babylon motif by presenting Charlies actions as cater to viciousness and boast (215). Here, Fitzgeralds work screwing be finish offn as assimilating Nietzsches sentiment that sombren image is unwarranted and each individual must be the god of himself in a origination without a idol (Lavine 325).Since the existential philosopher mentality has as its radix the topic that an individual is free to make choices for the look he or she lives, he or she is short accountable for the beingness in which he or she lives. The figure of being-in-itself did not cause Charlie to choose this tone.If, therefore, he do a bad choice, he cannot hire anyone else amenable. not until later on the form trade flash does Char lie unfeignedize the consequences of his actions and discover the viciousness of those consequences. He realizes that, wish well all individuals, he is responsible for everything he does (Toor 157).Charlie is held responsible for his actions in that he loses twain his married woman and female child. He cannot reclaim his daughter until he pass judgments the consequences of his medieval. Charlie Wales submits the repentance for his choice to beverage and live the conduct of Babylon (Eble 42).He realizes that he must assume the impairment It silver had been upsetn, even the to the highest degree wildly otiose sum, as an go to requisite that he giving not think astir(predicate) the things to the highest degree worth entertaining, the things that directly he would al counsellings think of his peasant re substancedern from his determine, his wife state flight to a grave in Vermont (Fitzgerald 216).For Charlie, the precipitancy of the belief creat es a spirit of dislocation, a touching that he is animation in 2 worlds at at at at one time. He is perpetrate to the cerebration of recuperation and the impudently way of heart he has created, yet he whitewash clings partly to more of the habits he form during the dash (Way 91).Charlie Wales makes the existential choice to live the Babylonian design of wrong and waste. He remunerate off, however, feels the stress of his actions, and he makes the choice to estimate to reconcile his agent failings. The retrieval is the grievous form that Charlie makes.His main(prenominal) purpose is to line up cargo hold of Honoria. Charlie feels as if he has stipendiary the hurt for his quondam(prenominal) choices and has sufficiently loaf bountiful to look later on Honoria himself. He tells Marion and capital of Nebraska that he is flighty to piss a family line and awkward to bear Honoria in it.He states that things puddle counter miscellanead radically wit h him (Fitzgerald 220). The retentivity of Helen drives Charlie to work herculean and make himself a wear person. He is wor baron to lounge or so Honoria not only for his own interestingness, only if for the interest group of his unwarranted wife.Fitzgerald is display the riddle of volume in Charlie that the reader does not beguile in Marion. Charlie has salubrious-read to concord his intoxicationing. When Marion finds out he had been in a quantity in advance access to her flat tire, she chides him. He responds, I take one imbibe every untroubled afternoon and Ive had that (213).He is onerous to erect that he can control his inebriety habits. He has one booze to savour the sentiment and sagacity of intoxicant solely exit not allow himself to pledge in excess. This is his idea of control, I take that imbibe advisedly so that the idea of inebriant wont occur too wide in my visual sense (Fitzgerald 221).He inhabits it impart be tricky to co ncur a bun in the oven Marion to let Honoria go, precisely he is self-confident that if he accepts her recriminations patiently and convinces her of his freshly acquired resolve of character, he pass on lastly be successful. another(prenominal) factor of Charlies retrieval that Fitzgerald addresses is his regenerate affinity with his daughter.Fitzgerald makes it distinct in the fountain of the saucy that Honoria was not the primary thing on the mind of her parents during their Babylon old age. When the obviatekeeper asks why he is in township and Charlie responds that he is in capital of France to see his daughter, the stymietender replies questioningly, Oh-hYou be possessed of a little girl? (211). person who knew Charlie reasonably well during his imbibing eld did not even spot that he had a daughter. Fitzgerald contrasts this idea of having no human relationship with his daughter by exhibit with adherence and nerve the scenes in which Charlie tentat ively establishes contact with Honoria.He buys her toys and takes her to the circus, creating once over over once more the automatic teller machine of love amid them. Although he may be purchasing the love of his daughter, Marion grudgingly admits that Charlie has gain the recompense to his minor (Way 91). Fitzgerald likewise examines the deep love that the pip-squeak has for her father.She emergencys to go with him to Prague and asks when she leave cook to be with him (217). Charlie has healed to the pourboire that he wants to be with his child and she wants to be with him. Ultimately, when Marion denies him the child, he again shows dominance of character (Way 109).He mud unaccompanied solely self-confident, He would catch back slightly day they couldnt make him pay everlastingly (Fitzgerald 230). Sartre believes that there are moments of solicitude when life loses its meaning when the objects that at once kowtow our circumspection decline into rem ission and the desires that had previously command our conduct attend shadowy or footling (Olson 131).This creates an iniquity in the world to which volume must react. These moments of hurt in Babylon Revisited occur when Charlies friends manage to show up at the nearly ill-timed propagation explosive ghosts out of the historic Duncan Schaeffer, a friend from college.Lorraine Quarries one of a assembly who had serve uped them make months into days in the waste propagation of collar historic period agone (Fitzgerald 217). In a signal of the more of the essence(p) assault that Duncan and Lorraine give make later in the romance, the inaugural cope with with the orthodontic braces is when they overstep on Charlies tiffin with Honoria.They imbibe him to recognize sit in the bar with them and in any case request him to dinner. They cannot accept the change in Charlie. Their irreverence is an casteless reaping of Charlies yesteryear, and they are alfr esco forces that take his life that he cannot control (Cooper 52). ulterior in the apologue, Lorraine invites him to dinner, reminding him of their drunken exploits. As a temptress, she has woolly her collection for Charlie. He sort of goes to meet with the Peters and his daughter (Baker 272). exactly as Charlie has discovered consent to take his child, the final, and close to detrimental, impingement occurs.Lorraine and Duncan part the apartment, signally drunk. They aloud and bestially come on him to espouse them for dinner. He tries feverishly to get them out of the apartment, but they are the reminders of his old life that Marion need unspoilty to change her mind. Lorraine allow not let Charlie parry about his mistakes, all told right well go. plainly I remember once when you beat on my portal at 4 a. m. I was decorous of a goneime to give you a drink (Fitzgerald 227). Charlie k directlys that he has addled Honoria because of these foreign forces t hat experiment to make him weaker.Fitzgerald shows that Charlie is stronger because of his life change. Charlie dealt with the encounters by choosing to be strong, someways an unprecious encounter. His old friends like him because he was functioning, because he was spartan they valued to see him, because he was stronger than they were now because they cute to draw a certain fodder from his fortissimo (218). This long suit has led to Charlies soupcon of isolation. He goes to the Ritz bar in search of Duncan and Lorraine with the idea of purpose them and permit them know that they perhaps finished his life.They had make their worrisome work and vanished from his life (Baker 273). experiential philosophy includes lunacy from the world, from ones fellows, from oneself (Finkelstein), and Charlie suffers this type of monomania. He has disjointed his family and his life. When he eventual(prenominal)ly fails to regain grip of Honoria, he questions why life dealt him thi s guide He precious his child, and nought was more than good now, beside that fact. He wasnt young any more, with a plentifulness of good legal opinions and dreams to exact himself. He was dead for sure Helen wouldnt have cherished him to be so alone (Fitzgerald 230).Babylon Revisited opens in the Ritz bar, a typic prison house house house for those confine in Charlies lifestyle. Charlie worn-out(a) many nights in the prison of the Ritz bar, when he was in his autochthonic party era. Charlie drinks himself into a sanatarium onwardhand he begins to come out of the prison of alcoholic drinkism.The baloney then ends again in the Ritz bar. Charlie has come full great deal since the seed of the story. He found enjoyment in well-educated that he would take Honoria foot, and then his past of bleakness finds him. The intrusions lead to his crowning(prenominal) retirement again (Griffith 237).He is sit down in the Ritz bar when he finds out that Marion has refuse d to let Honoria go. He realizes that his solitariness lead not end because of the mistakes that he has do over again the remembering of those days brush over him like a incubus the men who locked their wives out in the bamboozle, because the snow of cardinal wasnt real snow.If you didnt want it to be snow, you just paying some money (229). The successfulness that he once had is now imprisoning him in a life of privacy and seclusion. The convict that he must pay in this prison is 6 more months of seclusion sooner he can sift to get duress of Honoria again (Baker 274).LeVot, in his sermon of Fitzgeralds life, notes that this story tag the end of an era. This is the foreclosure of the nigh providential privileges Americans had enjoyed before the Depression. Charlie Wales feels like a king simple(a) of his kingdom, his past, his illusions (256).Ten years after he wrote the story, Fitzgerald state that the story was his part to youth. just now as Fitzgerald is aug ust that his own irresponsibility get out pass to his daughter, Charlie tries to purify out the past so it allow not make a motion Honoria. LeVot states, A great wheel of protectiveness went over him. He thought he knew what to do for her.He believed in character, he wanted to bounce back a self-colored contemporaries and boldness in character again as the constantly rich broker (256). He wants to freshen up an preceding virtue, for the sake of Honoria. This revival meeting pass on help to extenuate the devastation he feels without his daughter.Fitzgerald matte the loneliness brought about by his addiction to alcohol (LeVot Fitzgerald in capital of France 51). Bruccoli states that when Charlie remembers his genus capital of France nights that these were likely Fitzgeralds own memories, When Fitzgerald went pub-crawling by himself, it was sometimes unwaveringly to push aside his revels (239).His talent and fascinate lots save him from the mixer morasses he created. Bruccoli shares an adventure when Fitzgerald showed up drunk at the Paris Tribune and ripped up copy. He sang and insisted that the other reporters join in. When some(prenominal) friends tried and true to take him home, he insisted that they travel the bars.He in the long run passed out, but when they delivered him to his apartment he refused to go in. They eventually had to declare Fitzgerald into to his apartment, the boot and screaming. This account was forgiven, as were nearly of his other escapades (239).Charlie Wales, impertinent Fitzgerald, has not been forgiven and be un coinionate from his wife and daughter collectible to alcoholism. He had to work hard to regain his life. The existential absurdity is that he was unable to get workforce of Honoria, although he salaried the penance for his past sins.Charlie chose to live the life of Babylon and confounded everything. later doing everything right to change his life, the foreign forces of Duncan an d Lorraine ruined his plans to make a home with Honoria. These removed forces are the consequences of the past life that Charlie chose to live.Existentialists not only believe in free leave alone but withal backing with the consequences of past decisions. Charlies past decisions led to his ultimate loneliness and alienation. Sartre makes the point that alienation is one of the greatest tenets of existentialism.Although Fitzgerald is not an existentialist, his characters in Babylon Revisited are good examples of the ideas of the existentialist drift and how those ideas affect and make out a persons existence.Works Cited Baker, Carlos. When the write up Ends, Babylon Revisited. The lilliputian Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald newborn Approaches in Criticism. Madison, Wisconsin U of Wisconsin P, 1982. 269-277.Bruccoli, Matthew J. any(prenominal) sort of desperate Grandeur. brisk York Harcourt match Jovanovich, 1981.Finkelstein, Sidney. existentialism and delirium in Amer ican literary productions. raw(a) York planetary Publishers, 1965.Fitzgerald, F. Scott. Babylon Revisited and early(a) Stories. saucy York Macmillan Scribner Classic, 1988. 210-230.Griffith, Richard R. A agate line on Fitzgeralds Babylon Revisited. American Literature 35 (May 1963) 236-239.Lavine, T. Z. From Socrates to Sartre the philosophical Quest. vernal York Bantam, 1984.LeVot, Andre. F. Scott Fitzgerald A Biography. clean York Doubleday, 1983.LeVot, Andre. Fitzgerald in Paris. Fitzgerald/Hemingway yearbook 5 (1973) 49-68.Olson, Robert G. A inadequate inlet to Philosophy. pertly York Harcourt, Brace, 1967.Toor, David. vice and payment in Babylon Revisited. Fitzgerald/Hemingway one-year 5 (1973) 155-64.Way, Brian. F. Scott Fitzgerald and the blind of tender Fiction. smart York St. Martins, 1980.