Characterization: 

Randy Bragg- Randy is a failed candidate for political office, and lives off of his family's land. After the war starts, he becomes very responsible and eventually rises up as the leader of the entire town

Dan Gunn- Dan is Fort Repose's doctor and is Randy's best friend. A bitter divorce has left him heart broken but after the nuclear war, Dan rises up as a hero by throwing himself into the difficult work of serving as a doctor

Mark Bragg- Mark is Randy Bragg's brother, he is also an officer with the Air Command in Omaha. He warns Randy about the nuclear war and sends Helen, his wife, and their children to live with Randy. Mark dies in Omaha but his wife doesn't learn about his death for months

Elizabeth McGovern- She is Randy's girlfriend, then later becomes his wife. She is a smart, and beautiful lady. Her parents moved to Fort Repose from the North. Once her mother dies from diabetes, she moves in with Randy

Symbols:

One recurring symbol in the novel is the Carolina Parakeet. The Carolina Parakeet was very popular through the American South but was driven to extinction. Randy spends his free time searching for the bird, to recover the species. In the same way, after "The Day", Randy spends his time searching for the remnants of civilization.

The trading for jewelry, televisions, and furniture by some of the citizens of Pistolville can be seen as symbolic of greed. These people were always looked down upon as “poor white trash” and never had any luxuries enjoyed by the more wealthy whites of Fort Repose.   They will “get their due” by trading needed goods for the luxuries they never had. They are blind to the fact that those luxuries only meant something and had value before "The Day" but, now, they are useless. Their greed blinds them from the realities of life after "The Day".



Figurative Language:


The title of the novel is an allusion itself. In the Bible, the ancient city of Babylon is depicted as a place of evil and sin, doomed to be destroyed by God on Judgment Day. The novel depicts America as a modern Babylon which, due to the war, is destroyed in a nuclear apocalypse. 


The radioactive jewelry that kills Porky Logan, Bigmouth Bill, and Pete Hernandez, as well as blackening Rita's ring finger, can be seen as symbolic of the danger of greed and selfishness. These characters, rather than working to help the town as a whole, are concerned only with accumulating wealth for themselves. 

"He walked on alone under the oak arch excluding starlight, secure in night's black velvet cloak,...". This quote is an example of personification and is a very mysterious and gloomy addition to the novel. It makes the reader anxious and slightly frightened. 


The name of the town of "Fort Repose" shows a military base in repose, meaning in rest. The name is symbolic of the fact that the "sleepy town", as well as the rest of the nation, is unprepared for the event of war. One of the messages of Pat Franks's novel is the preparedness for the possibility of nuclear war. 

"In December the helicopter came....it hovered low and dropped a long wire from its belly,...it was

like a gigantic bug dipping for honey." This quote is an example of a simile. It is a simile because the helicopter is being compared to a gigantic bug dipping for honey. I chose this quote not only because of the simile, but also because this is one of the most important parts of the book. 

Important Quotes: 

“Far to the east picked out Mount Carmel, and a river, and beyond were the hills of Megiddo, also called Armageddon.” The title of the book, "Alas, Babylon", comes from The Revelation to St. John in the Bible. In The Revelation, the final battle is said to begin at Armageddon. Armageddon is Hebrew for “hills of Megiddo.”

 “...The struggle was not against a human enemy, or for victory. The struggle, for those who survived "The Day", was to survive the next.” There were no invaders or foreign troops to fight. For the people of Fort Repose, the fight was not against an invader, but was simply to survive. This was, by far, the hardest fight. This is one of the major themes of the novel: survival. 

“ ‘Some of our scientists think it will take a thousand years to restore a saturated [Contaminated Zone], like Florida or New Jersey, to anything close to normal.’ " Actually, it would probably take longer than a thousand years to fully restore a contaminated zone. It does make an interesting backdrop to the last sentence in the story: “... Randy turned away to face the thousand-year night.”

“Some nations and some people melt in the heat of crisis and come apart like fat in the pan. Others meet the challenges and harden. I think you’re going to harden.” In the heat of crisis, Randy, unlike many of the other men in town, is not falling apart - he is rising up and is bound to be the hero of Fort Respose.

“We were born with silver spoons in our mouths and electric dishwashers to keep them sanitary and clean. We relaxed, didn’t we? What will happen to us, Admiral?” Now that the science and technology that kept the plagues and other old curses away are gone, what are the people of Fort Respose supposed to do? They have been so used to the fancy lifestyle, that they never stopped to think about what would happen if everything they had, disappeared.




Book Review

This book review that I have written is for my English instructor. The title of the novel i read is Alas, Babylon and the author of this book is Pat Frank. The page count for Alas, Babylon is 352 pages and the publisher of the novel is J. B. Lippincott & Co. The book was published in 1959 and was one of the first apocalyptic novels of the nuclear age. I read this book because it was a part of my summer assignment and my cousin recommended it to me earlier this year.

One of the many main characters in the novel, is Randy Bragg. Randy is the hero of Fort Respose and  is responsible for pulling his family and neighbors together during the crisis. Another main character is Dr. Dan Gunn. Mr. Gunn was the local doctor of Fort Respose and moves into Randy's house a few days after the start of the nuclear war. Another main character is Lib McGovern. She married Randy days after the beginning of the war. Just like Randy, her personality changes drastically and she becomes a minor hero of the town.

A minor character in the novel is Florence Wechek. Florence Wechek is an older, unmarried woman living near Randy Bragg. She runs the local Western Union station. Another minor character is Alice Cookey. Alice is another older, unmarried woman, a friend of Florence Wechek. She is the town’s librarian. Another minor character in the novel is Admiral Sam Hazzard. Sam Hazzard is a retired Navy officer living near Randy Bragg. His shortwave radio is the only source of news and world events. Another character is Randy's brother, Colonel Mark Bragg. Mark Bragg is Randy’s older brother. He is stationed at SAC headquarters on "The Day" and is not heard of again. Bill McGovern is another character in our novel. Bill McGovern is Lib’s father. After his wives death, he moves in with Randy. Last but not least, we have Ben Franklin and Peyton Bragg. Ben and Peyton are the children of Colonel Mark and Helen Bragg.

Alas, Babylon is an apocalyptical novel. The novel was set in the 1950's in a small town by the name of "Fort Repose". This book is very scary and is extremely interesting. The MAIN character, (Randy Bragg), tries to restore order in Fort Repose and becomes the hero of their small town. The outcome of the novel is that they undergo many obstacles throughout the nuclear war. Towards the end of the novel, helicopters and planes fly all throughout Fort Repose and one helicopter is carrying Paul Hart, a friend of Randy's. He asks them if the citizens of the town want to be taken to a safer and more habitable area, but the people said no. They preferred to stay in the community that they rebuilt.

All in all, Alas, Babylon was a very complex book and was tough to apprehend, but overall, the book was very interesting. I learned that you should never get too comfortable in life, because everything you love can be taken away from you with one simple action. I also learned to always be aware and to not take life for granted because life can be taken in an instant. Though the book may have been very complex and hard to understand, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves apocalyptical novels.