Babylon Revisited Transformation Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Part.Paragraph)

Quote #4

He left soon after dinner, but not to go home. He was curious to see Paris by night with clearer and more judicious eyes than those of other days. (1.52)

This suggests another reason for Charlie's return to Paris. He's there to reclaim Honoria, yes, but also to look back at his past, to re-evaluate, to re-examine his past lifestyle now that he feels he is a safe distant from it. "Seeing with new eyes" is indeed a part of his return to "Babylon."

Quote #5

"And who are you, please?" he persisted, and she accepted a role immediately: "Honoria Wales, Rue Palatine, Paris."

"Married or single?"

"No, not married. Single." (2.21-23)

Charlie pretends that he and Honoria are out on a date together as adults. In a way, he is metaphorically courting his daughter, in that he needs to get her to choose to live with him rather than with her aunt and uncle.

Quote #6

Somehow, an unwelcome encounter. They liked him because he was functioning, because he was serious; they wanted to see him, because he was stronger than they were now, because they wanted to draw a certain sustenance from his strength. (2.57)

This is pretty powerful characterization. Fitzgerald makes Duncan and Lorraine seem almost parasitic, without explicitly saying anything negative about them. We fear for Charlie because this makes it sound as though the pair want to take something from him. They don't just want his company – they want to feed off of his new-found resolve.