Everyone makes mistakes in their lives, and whether they are big or small, the mistakes people make and how they atone for them define who they truly are. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "Babylon Revisited," Fitzgerald demonstrates, using symbolism, point of view, and tone, that no matter how much one tries to hide them, mistakes made in the past stay with them forever, setting the tone for the future. The past is symbolized by different elements within the story, mainly by people, places and things. At the beginning of the story, Charlie calls up an old acquaintance, Claude Fessenden, while talking to Alix the bartender. According to Alix, Claude Fessenden has run up a bill of over thirty thousand francs at the Ritz, given a bad check to pay off his debt and is no longer welcome at the bar. Charlie knew Claude from the turbulent times of the bull market, but now he is “bloated” (BABYLON), deprived of the collapse. The next day, during lunch with his daughter Honoria, two more figures from Charlie's past come into play: Lorraine and Duncan, old friends from "a crowd who had helped them turn months into days in the lavish times of three years ago." . "(BABYLON). They are immediately attracted to Charlie and force him to remember the years he tries so vehemently to forget; questioning in amazement the sober man who stood before them. Charlie pushes the two away as best he can without insults, for he knows that these people are not good for him or his daughter. They are the living embodiment of the events of his past and, for a new person, his old friends cannot be part of his life nine years old, practically an adult in Charlie's eyes. missed... half the paper... oney” (BABYLON) wanted the reader to walk away with the thought that everything you do has an impact on the future, and not to mock life, since anything you do can and will have a negative effect on future events. There are countless ways to analyze F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "Babylon Revisited", but what Fitzgerald wanted the reader to know. understood after reading this story through its use of symbolism, point of view and tone, was that mistakes made in the past stay with them forever, so one should live life well and without regrets. Works Cited "BABYLON REVISITED". BABYLON REVISITED. Np, nd Web. 24 February 2014. "A Brief Life of Fitzgerald." A Brief Life of Fitzgerald. Np, nd Web. 01 March. 2014. .