Babylon Revisited and Roman Fever

Babylon Revisited and Roman Fever

In both the short stories "Babylon Revisited" by F. Scott Fitzgerald and "Roman Fever" by Edith Wharton the main characters are American who have become disenchanted with their home country. Each leaves their homeland behind in order to retrieve something that they cannot get in the United States, either adventure or a child or the ability to forget the past. Neither of the main characters, Charlie Wales in the former and Alida Slade in the latter, is a particularly nice person. As a matter of fact, both characters are rather reprehensible in the ways that they acted in their youths and have tried to abandon their responsibilities and the repercussions of their past behaviors. In the end, both characters are forced to face the mistakes of their past and in that moment have to understand that the choices made long ago will continue to affect them long into the future. Although both are responsible for the outcome of their stories, it would seem that Charlie is more to blame for his current unhappiness because he could see the potential ramifications for his choice and Alida Slade could not have possible foreseen how her choices would later impact her life.

While in Rome, Alida Slade and her friend Mrs. Grace Ansley, travel with their daughters Jenny and Barbara respectively. Mrs. Slade informs Ansley of the last time that they were in Rome, when the two women were both in their youths. Once upon a time, the two women had both been enamored of the same man, Alida's fiance named Delphin. Grace was quite taken with Delphin, but there was no doubt that it was Alida who he loved and who he would marry. Out of spite for her friend's crush on Delphin, Alida played a rather horrible and cruel trick. She wrote a letter to Grace, supposedly from Delphin, wherein it was suggested that the two meet at the Coliseum in Rome. It was hoped that if Grace were left at the Coliseum, waiting for a man who would never come, then she would get over her affection for Delphin and no longer serve as a hindrance in the engagement. Grace is upset at this revelation, but unbeknownst to Alida, Grace had responded to that long ago letter. The nonexistent rendezvous which was supposed to humiliate Grace backfired. Delphin and Grace actually did meet up at the Coliseum and, it is suggested, Grace's daughter Barbara was a direct result of that one meeting. Alida, in trying to perhaps rectify a past wrong or more likely trying to cause some pain to her friend and also rival, causes herself pain. From now on, she will always have to wonder if Barbara is the daughter of her husband and that she is responsible for Delphin's infidelity. Had she not contrived to harm Grace, the two never would have had that liaison and it is likely that they would never have consummated their mutual attraction.

Alida's actions were bad and her pain is palpable, and absolutely she is responsible for the pain she now feels. However, her lies really only hurt herself whereas the actions of Charlie Wales harm many people. In the past when he had money Charlie and his wife were drunks. They had plenty of money and subsequently spent it as quickly as they made it. Now that the 1920s have passed and the Stock Market has crashed, the people have had to sober up, in Charlie's case literally as well as figuratively. His drunkenness has led him to destitution, to widowhood, and to having lost his daughter to his deceased wife's sister. Honoria, his daughter, loves him but he is not responsible enough to be a parent to her. Charlie's entire reason for coming to Paris, he declares, was in reuniting with his child and trying to rebuild his life for her. Yet, quite literally, Charlie's past comes back to damage his present and also his future prospects.

While in Paris, Charlie meets up with some of his friends from his days of drunken debauchery. Although Charlie has sworn off of alcohol and has promised that his selfish bacchanalian past is behind him, Honoria's aunt Marion doubts his devotion to sobriety. She is concerned with the kind of influence that Charlie will be on Honoria. Later, when Charlie comes to visit his child and his in-laws, some of the drunken friends show up unexpectedly. Marion believes this is evidence that Charlie has not really changed and determines that he cannot even discuss taking Honoria for at least another six months. This is of course devastating to Charlie who has consumed an alcoholic beverage during the course of his visit.

It is uncertain, but unlikely that six months time will change anything. In the last lines of the story, Fitzgerald writes: "He would come back some day; they couldn't make him pay forever…He was absolutely sure Helen wouldn't have wanted him to be so alone" (5). Even though Charlie has tried to change, he is still primarily a selfish person. He does not really want to be with Honoria because it would be what is best for her, but because he wants to be with her. The fact that he went to get a drink shows that he has not completely overcome his addiction, although he is able to walk away without getting completely drunk.