Babylon Revisited Analysis

In “Babylon Revisited,” Fitzgerald demonstrates not only the effect of the crash on the environment, but also its effect on people’s emotions. Reflecting on his past, Charlie realizes that he “spoiled this city for [him]self.” In doing so, he let “the days c[o]me along one after another, [until] two years were gone, and everything was gone, and [he] was gone” (212). Previously “he [was] a sort of royalty, almost infallible,” but now, people “glanc[e] at him with frightened eyes” (213, 214). Therefore, because Fitzgerald contrasts the pride and euphoria of the Roaring Twenties to the sadness of the Depression, “the tragedy of the Golden Twenties reaches its highest artistic realization” (Perosa 96). Furthermore, Charlie’s return to Paris leads him to reconsider his actions during the Roaring Twenties. Eventually, he realizes his ultimate fault: straying from his ideals in search of wealth. Charlie yearns to “jump back a whole generation and trust in character again as the
Demonstrating several causes of an economic collapse, Fitzgerald depicts speculation, market manipulation, and protectionism in “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz.” These economic factors caused the Great Depression, and also many other subsequent collapses, such as the energy crisis in the 1970s and the dot-com bubble at the turn of the century. Furthermore, protectionist policies pose a constant threat to multinational companies. However, after suffering through the largest economic downturn in United States history, Fitzgerald changed his view on money, as seen in “Babylon Revisited.” Rather than focusing on wealth, Fitzgerald focuses on the detrimental emotional effects of money. A man must not allow money to overcome his ideals; the anguish of the return to Hades harms him more than the happiness in the rise to the