This is Kayla’s post! Hi, Everyone, What I really liked about “Babylon Revisited” is the way that Fitzgerald wrote the dialogue of the story. I just loved how smooth, easy, and realistic the conversations between the characters seemed. My favorite scene involving dialogue would have to be the silly, playful conversation between Charlie and Honoria in the beginning of the story. There was one line in their playful conversation that took a sharp serious turn when Honoria, playing along with their little game of pretend, says that she was once married but is not anymore because her husband is dead. She says, “Yes, I’ve been married, but I’m not married now. My husband is dead” (Fitzgerald, p. 68). To keep things light and fun her father quickly redirects their conversation away from the topic of death. He quickly says, “And the child’s name?” (Fitzgerald, p. 68) This piece of dialogue reveals a bit of the subtext regarding Charlie’s feelings about his own wife’s death. It is clear that he is uncomfortable talking about her death because as soon as Honoria brought it up in their little game, he was quick to change the course of the conversation. However, later on in the story he askes his daughter, “Darling, do you ever think about your mother?” (Fitzgerald, p. 70). The daughter replies that she does and the father goes on to say, “I don’t want you to forget her...She loved you very much.” (Fitzgerald, p. 70). The subtext here reveals that Charlie misses his wife and thinks of her often. I suppose in this instance he was curious as to if his daughter did as well. It is pretty clear though that Charlie does not want to burden his daughter with the death of her mother so much because all of their conversations revolving the mother or death are quite short and quickly either dropped or redirected. Another instance in which the dialogue of the story showed some of the subtext is whenever Charlie talks about his drinking and new healthy habits. During the story he says things like, “I only take one drink every afternoon,” (Fitzgerald, p. 65). Another example is, “but things have changed with me now-- Changed radically with me, and I want to ask you to reconsider the matter.” (Fitzgerald, p. 71). When you read Charlie’s statements it seems like underneath it all he is desperately trying to prove something to not only himself but everyone around him as well. It seems like he is trying to make up for his past actions and prove that he is a changed man now. At one point in the story he says, “But now it’s different. I’m well, I’m functioning, I’m behaving damn well,” (Fitzgerald, p. 73). which seems like a plea for those around him to believe that he has really changed for the better. He admits that his actions in the past were not good, but he is adamant that he has changed his life around. Perhaps he feels guilty for the way he acted in the past, his wife’s death, and all of his drinking, however, it is obviously that he is trying really hard to be a better father for his daughter. While he is also trying to show everyone around him that he is a changed man he also seems to try to convince himself he is as well. He seems unsure of himself and his progress at some points during the story. When asked how long he plans on staying sober Charlie replies, “Permanently, I hope” (Fitzgerald, p. 71). Nothing about that reply sounded sure at all revealing Charlie’s feelings of self-doubt. However, Charlie seems to prove himself at the end of the story. When things do not turn out as he had hoped, when he cannot win back his daughter, rather than falling back into his old drinking habits he stays strong and sticks to only having one drink. He says, “No, no more,” (Fitzgerald, p. 81). when he could have easily sat back and given into his old nagging habits in such a stressful time. His action of turning away another drink in a moment of emotional turmoil shows that underneath, Charlie truly is a changed man who just wants his daughter back. He is determined to return again to try to get custody of his daughter again. I did use dialogue quite a bit in my short story, however, creating dialogue that reveals subtext in my story is something I seem to struggle with. From what I understand, dialogue that reveals subtext is when a character says something that reveals so much more than what was initially said. For instance, one place that I think I did this in my story without even knowing it was in the lines, “Oh, Honey, you aren’t sleeping all day again are you?” This is the part in my story in which Remi’s mother expresses subtle concern about her daughter. I have the mother nonchalantly ask Remi that simple question rather than having the mother outright say “I am concerned about you because you look like you have been sleeping all day. Is your PTSD and depression getting bad again?” I think that I used the dialogue here pretty well to express that Remi’s mother cares about her very much and worries about her because of her past mental health issues. One place in the story in which I need to do some editing of my dialogue so that the subtext is being used effectively is in the line, “We know how hard of a day today is for you being the anniversary and all,” says my mom softly taking off her shoes on the door mat.” I got the advice from my instructor to take out part of that sentence so that it reads, “We know how hard of a day today is for you,” says my mom softly taking off her shoes on the door mat.” Taking out “being the anniversary and all,” allows the reader to see deeper into the story and find out what is being hidden just below the surface of story. Reading that it is a hard day for Remi allows the reader to think about the backstory of the character and figure out what is being said without it actually being said in the story. I really want to work on my dialogue more as I revise my short story so that the subtext of the story is being revealed better. There are things about my character that are dark and painful in her past leading those things to be hidden a bit as she does not like to talk about them. Using my dialogue in such a way that it makes my reader see deeper into a character and learn more about them through the subtext is something that I really want to work on. I have learned that not everything needs to be said or explained in a story. Sometimes we just need to leave little breadcrumbs for the reader to follow and uncover the secrets of the story for themselves. Kayla Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. “Babylon Revisited”.” 100 Years of The Best American Short Stories, edited by Lorrie Moore and Heidi Pitlor. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt publishing Company, 2015, pp. 62 - 81. This is Tyler’s post! Hey Class, In F. Scott Fitzgerald's Babylon Revisited, the characters all have a way of disguising their speech. This is where the subtext of the dialogue lives. Charlie wants his daughter back and after making great changes to his life, he must now make a case for himself as a suitable father figure for his daughter. The problem is, Marion can only see the Charlie of the past, Charlie past discretions have tattooed a perception into Marion's brain. For the dialogue, the subtext is apparent in the moments when the motivation and desire of a character are only indirectly represented with their actual speech. For example there comes a moment when Charlie feels that he has won over the decision to take Honoria with him. He talks one on one with Marion, trying to make amends “Family quarrels are bitter things. They don’t go according to my rules. They’re not like aches or wounds; they’re more like splits in the skin that won’t heal because there’s not enough material. I wish you and I could be on better terms."(77). In this selection, Charlie is looking to appeal to Marion's humanities, he is looking for her to sympathize with his stance that not all family quarrel are under his control. Really, he is giving her a poetic apology. Marion replies "Some things are hard to forget,” she answered. “It’s a question of confidence. If you behave yourself in the future I won’t have any criticism.”(77). This is Marion's way of saying that she feels Charlie is dangerous, irresponsible, and that she does not trust him. She can and probably only will ever see Charlie as who he was in the past. His attempts to reach out to Marion are simply an exercise in futility. As for my story, I don't have too much dialogue in it. It is written in first person and the only few bits of dialogue are displayed as memories. There is a part at the end of the story when my main Character, Nathan, is being buried alive by his brother, Lucas. This is all planned. When Lucas is shutting the lid to the coffin, he tells Nathan that he'll be back. But more than just a future call to action, Lucas' dialogue is a comforting mechanism to Nathan. In other words, he is telling Nathan, "don't be scared". He is trying to ease his anxieties. I think that I have a slight grasp on subtext, but it is definitely an aspect of writing I need to work on and to gain a better understanding. But as for now, I don't have much dialogue to practice with in my current story. Tyler Source: Moore, Lorrie, Heidi Pitlor. 100 Years of The Best American Short Stories. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. [MBS Direct].
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