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Who Is Alex Wales In F. Scott Fitzgerald's Babylon Revisited

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Alex Wales, the protagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Babylon Revisited represents the shift from a fast paced, crazy lifestyle, to a man who is changing his ways to become a better person. In a way, this can be compared to American society in the Roaring Twenties. Glamorized by works such as Fitzgerald’s own The Great Gatsby, it was a time of parties and reckless abandon. People borrowed money, took out credit cards, and bought all sorts of new luxuries. Alex Wales was also a victim of this. He was a wealthy man living in Paris in the 1920’s, where he spent all his money. He was also an alcoholic. His finances, as well as his life, collapsed along with the stock market crash of 1929. This dramatic change in fortunes was the case for many Americans as well. The Great …show more content…

Babylon Revisited is about Alex Wales trying to win his daughter, Honoria, back from his brother-in-law and sister-in-law. But on a deeper level, it is about Alex Wales, and American society, trying to win their lives back. Alex has changed, and continues to try to change for the better. He knows he cannot go back to his own partying ways. He has more responsibilities now, and if he ever wants to have his beloved daughter Honoria back, he cannot be the old Alex Wales. F.

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