Self-Sabotage

In “Babylon Revisited,” Charlie is surprised when Duncan Schaeffer and Lorraine Quarrles arrive at the Peters’ home, wondering how they found the address.  He also tells Marion and Lincoln that “they wormed your name out of somebody” (339).  However, in the very opening of the story he gives the bartender his brother-in-law’s address to give to Schaeffer.  This discrepancy could be unintentional.  After all, Lorraine’s note comes to him at his hotel – the address he had left at the bar “for the purpose of finding a certain man” (336).  This suggests that perhaps the hotel address rather than the Peters’ address was given out in the beginning.  Yet, this seems like a rather blatant error for Fitzgerald and his editors to overlook.

Thus, there must be some reason behind it.  Perhaps Charlie simply forgot that he had left the Peters’ address for Schaeffer.  Perhaps he is initially surprised when they arrive, momentarily forgetting he left the Peters’ address, but then his protestation that he had not given them the address was a defensive mechanism in order to ensure he could get his little girl. 

However, even when he runs into Duncan and Lorraine at the restaurant with Honoria, he hesitates to give out his hotel.  Again, this suggests that he does not want them to know where he is at, which contradicts his leaving the Peters’ address for Schaeffer in the beginning.  Charlie also appears hesitant throughout to spend time with Duncan and Lorraine, so it seems odd that he would leave his address, let alone his brother-in-law’s address, for them.  He appears to understand that his association with them could damage his chances to get back his daughter, so why would he leave his brother-in-law’s address for Schaeffer?  Perhaps, he doesn’t believe he deserves his daughter back.  Or perhaps, he thinks she’ll be better off without him.