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Charlie Wales
Charlie’s nine-year-old daughter, Honoria, lives with Marion and Lincoln Peters and their two children in Paris, but she would rather go live with her father in Prague. She’s tactful and mature for her age, and seems to value family over material things (for example, when Charlie offers to take her to the toy store and buy her whatever she wants, she doesn’t want to go because she feels Charlie has already bought her enough toys). Charlie worries that Honoria is growing up so quickly that, if he doesn’t win custody of her and take her back to Prague with him, he might miss out on her childhood altogether.
Honoria Wales Quotes in Babylon Revisited
The Babylon Revisited quotes below are all either spoken by Honoria Wales or refer to Honoria Wales . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Section 1 Quotes
A great wave of protectiveness went over him. He thought he knew what to do for her. He believed in character; he wanted to jump back a whole generation and trust in character again as the eternally valuable element. Everything wore out.
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At dinner with the Peters family, Charlie’s thoughts move seamlessly from Honoria to the subject of character. Although neither Fitzgerald nor Charlie explain what Charlie means by “character,” the word seems to signify moral strength and integrity, and also seems to be intimately related to his sense of protectiveness over Honoria and his desire to have a family. By saying he wants to “jump back” in time and trust in character, Charlie implies that character was the element he had been lacking which had been responsible for his family slowly falling apart. In this way, Fitzgerald shows readers that Charlie Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus co
He remembered thousand-franc notes given to an orchestra for playing a single number, hundred-franc notes tossed to a doorman for calling a cab.
But it hadn't been given for nothing.
It had been given, even the most wildly squandered sum, as an offering to destiny that he might not remember the things most worth remembering, the things that now he would always remember—his child taken from his control, his wife escaped to a grave in Vermont.
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When Fitzgerald describes Charlie’s profligate spending during the boom years as an “offering to destiny that he might not remember” the painful experience of his life spinning out of control, he seems to mean that Charlie used drinking and partying to repress the difficult realities of his life. This, despite the fact that those difficult realities were largely the product of his excessive drinking and partying. It’s worth noting that the language Fitzgerald uses to describe Charlie’s loss of his family portrays Charlie as a passive rather than an active agent in the events— his child “taken,” his wife “escaped.” Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque p
Section 2 Quotes
"First, we're going to that toy store in the Rue Saint-Honoré and buy you anything you like. And then we're going to the vaudeville at the Empire."
She hesitated. "I like it about the vaudeville, but not the toy store."
"Why not?"
"Well, you brought me this doll." She had it with her. "And I've got lots of things. And we're not rich any more, are we?"
"We never were. But today you are to have anything you want."
"All right," she agreed resignedly.
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Honoria’s response is notable because it’s unusual for a nine-year-old: she tells her father that she doesn’t want to go to the toy store despite his having offered to buy her whatever she wants. It implies that she is aware of the ways in which her father uses gifts as a substitute for less tangible expressions of his love and affection—and moreover that she would prefer to have her father in her life rather than having the toys he brings her to compensate for his absence. Charlie himself seems aware of (and frustrated by) his inability to provide for his Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nes
"Daddy, I want to come and live with you," she said suddenly.
His heart leaped; he had wanted it to come like this.
"Aren't you perfectly happy?"
"Yes, but I love you better than anybody. And you love me better than anybody, don't you, now that mummy's dead?"
"Of course I do. But you won't always like me best, honey. You'll grow up and meet somebody your own age and go marry him and forget you ever had a daddy."
"Yes, that's true," she agreed tranquilly.
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Here, Charlie reveals the extent of his anxiety about missing out on Honoria’s childhood. He fears the day that she’ll be grown enough to love another man, since that will be the day (he reasons) on which she’ll forget her father. It’s a somewhat strange response to her question, but it speaks to his own loneliness and desire to be loved that, before he has even succeeded in regaining custody of his daughter, he is worried about losing her. It also points to a major question that Fitzgerald leaves unresolved about Charlie, and that is whether he truly has Honoria’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaqu
Section 4 Quotes
He tried to picture how Lorraine had appeared to him then—very attractive; Helen was unhappy about it, though she said nothing. Yesterday, in the restaurant, Lorraine had seemed trite, blurred, worn away. He emphatically did not want to see her, and he was glad Alix had not given away his hotel address. It was a relief to think, instead, of Honoria, to think of Sundays spent with her and of saying good morning to her and of knowing she was there in his house at night, drawing her breath in the darkness.
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Charlie reflects on his memory of Lorraine just after receiving a letter from her in which she asks him to meet her. The fact that “Helen was unhappy” about Charlie and Lorraine’s friendship is just one of several pieces of evidence that there may have been an affair between the two, and yet Charlie declares that he “emphatically did not want to see her.” This is significant in part because Lorraine’s letter threatens to draw Charlie back into the orbit of his old social circle in a moment at which he seems to have gotten what he came to Paris Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea
Section 5 Quotes
There wasn't much he could do now except send Honoria some things; he would send her a lot of things tomorrow. He thought rather angrily that this was just money—he had given so many people money. . . .
"No, no more," he said to another waiter. "What do I owe you?"
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It’s worth noting that the story ends at the Ritz bar, where it began, with Charlie speaking the very same words to the bartender: “No, no more.” This parallel highlights the fact that he will leave Paris just as he came: without his daughter. The repeated words “No, no more,” in this case, can be read as a continuation of the preceding thought, which ends in an ellipsis, as if to suggest that Charlie is saying “No more” to money in general—having until now used wealth as a substitute for character, a family, and a home. In this light, the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. V
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Honoria Wales Character Timeline in Babylon Revisited
The timeline below shows where the character Honoria Wales appears in Babylon Revisited. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Section 1
...a nine-year-old girl darts out excitedly from behind her, shrieking “Daddy!” This is his daughter, Honoria. Charlie and Honoria embrace warmly, and then she leads him into the home’s salon, where...
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At dinner, Charlie wonders to himself whether Honoria is more similar to him or her mother, Helen. He hopes she does not combine...
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Section 2
The next day Charlie wakes up feeling refreshed, the “depression of yesterday” gone. He takes Honoria to lunch at Le Grand Vatel, the one restaurant he can think of that doesn’t...
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Back when Charlie had lived with Helen, and Honoria had been taken care of by a nurse, he was a stricter father, but now...
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Charlie asks Honoria whether she likes her aunt and uncle, Marion and Lincoln, and she replies that she...
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Suddenly Charlie and Honoria’s lunch is interrupted by Duncan Schaeffer and Lorraine Quarrles, “two ghosts out of the past”...
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...he’ll call them. Lorraine supposes aloud that Charlie must be sober, and Charlie nods toward Honoria, which makes them laugh. Duncan asks for Charlie’s address but Charlie tells him he’s not...
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At the Empire, Honoria proudly refuses to sit on Charlie’s folded coat, prompting him to worry that she will...
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In the taxi home, Charlie asks Honoria whether she ever thinks about her mother. She answers vaguely that sometimes she does. Charlie...
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Section 3
...attend to, and his sister is coming from Burlington to keep house, and he wants Honoria. He reminds Marion and Lincoln that even when he and Helen were not getting along,...
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...letter a month ago. He goes on to say that they are glad to have Honoria in their home, but then Marion interjects, asking Charlie how long he’s going to remain...
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...hasn’t existed for her. When Helen was dying, she asked Marion to take care of Honoria. Marion holds it against Charlie that at that time he had been in a sanitarium....
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...question is whether Marion has enough confidence in Charlie to give him legal guardianship of Honoria. Charlie says he doesn’t blame Marion, but that she can have total confidence in him—and...
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...the extent of Marion’s dislike for him, and grows concerned about the idea of leaving Honoria in the care of someone so hostile toward him. But when Lincoln points out that...
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Marion admits that Charlie can give Honoria “more luxuries,” recalling that while Charlie and Helen were “throwing away money,” she and Lincoln...
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...on her behalf. He says that Marion can see now that Charlie can provide for Honoria, so they won’t stand in his way. Charlie leaves.
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...state in his hotel room, Charlie imagines himself talking to Helen. She says she wants Honoria to be with him, and that she’s glad he’s doing better. She’s wearing a white...
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Section 4
Charlie wakes up feeling happy. He begins imagining life with Honoria, but becomes sad when he remembers Helen, who had not planned to die. He calls...
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...her his address. His mind turns to the prospect of being together at home with Honoria.
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...with presents for all of them, and sees that Marion has “accepted the inevitable.” Although Honoria has been told she is leaving, she conceals her joy, and it pleases Charlie to...
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...it best to call off dinner. Charlie asks if she has changed her mind about Honoria, but Lincoln doesn’t give a clear response, saying only that Marion is feeling pretty bitter...
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Section 5
...another drink. Charlie thinks about how tomorrow he’ll try to help the situation by sending Honoria some toys, but it makes him angry that all he can do is give his...
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...pay forever.” It seems that the only thing that matters to him now is getting Honoria back. He’s not young anymore, and he’s sure Helen wouldn’t have wanted him to be...
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