Thursday, April 5, 2012
Babylon Revisited
I thought today's discussion about Babylon Revisited raised some interesting questions. One thing in particular that was intriguing to me was whether Charlie was really ready to have Honoria back in his life. While I think he's on his way, and that it's what he and Honoria both want, I have to say no. I think he jumped the gun in asking that she come live with him. The main concern is that he has his drinking under control, and I don't think he's quite there yet. He says that he has one drink a day so that he won't obsess over it, but I think that if he assumes he'll be obsessing over having a drink if he goes cold turkey, then the problem is still there. I also think that he needs to find a new place to hang out besides the bar, and start associating with some healthier people. There are obviously some painful memories in the family's past, and issues that still need working out. It's understandable that Charlie would want to expedite the process, but that would do more harm then good. He needs to make sure that Honoria would be coming into a stable environment. Another thing that I also noticed was how nice Lincoln was about the whole situation. He really seemed to be rooting for Charlie, and he seems like a good person for him to have around on his road to recovery. The parallels between the Charlie and Helen and Fitzgerald and Zelda are yet another compelling element to the story, and they give a heartbreaking insight into Fitzgerald's troubles.
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To me, the fact that he has a drink a day doesn't bother me really and this shouldn't be seen as him not having his issues together. If he forced himself not to drink at all, and this bothered him, then alcohol is still controlling his life. But by having a drink daily, alcohol doesn't seem to important to him. But if this once a day drink does become too vital for him, then alcohol is indeed controlling his life again. I agree with what you said about Lincoln. He would have to be my favorite character in the story.
ReplyDeleteAll very true, but I didnt know that the relationship between Charlie and Helen mirrored Fitzgerald's own, that makes it much more interesting. I like the helpful life tips for Charlie by the way, because he absolutely needs them :)
ReplyDeleteChris Kiick
I agree with your assessment of Charlie's alcohol problem, Talon. If he has to think about the drink, he hasn't let go of drinking as a part of his life. (Sorry--Blogger ate the comment I left on your previous post.)
ReplyDeleteTalon, I would agree with Taylor; the one drink a day doesn’t really bother me. And, I think he is trying to associate with better people. Aside from the fact that he left Lincoln’s address for Duncan at the bar, he seems to want to avoid contact with Duncan and Lorraine. He does not seemed pleased when he and Honoria run into them, and when he receives the note from Lorraine he “emphatically [does] not want to see her” (337). Perhaps he wanted to catch up with Duncan, and he wanted nothing to do with Lorraine. Or perhaps he was merely curious to find out what Duncan was up to since he had not seen him in awhile.
ReplyDeleteI think Charlie was certainly putting his affairs in order and that Honoria would have been in a stable environment with him. After all, he was hiring a French governess, and his sister was coming to run the household. Besides, he was living in Prague, not Paris, so he would not have been around Duncan and Lorraine. Honoria probably would be better off with him as he can afford to give her a better education than Marion and Lincoln can. Also, Charlie worries that Marion’s hostility toward him would begin to affect Honoria, forever damaging the father/daughter relationship. However, I do agree that Charlie is not really ready for her to come live with him. I think that he’s afraid that she won’t be better off with him. His disbelief and disgust with himself over what had happened in the past suggest that he has not forgiven himself. And, until he can move past this, I think that he subconsciously feels that he is not the best thing for Honoria.