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Description edit
"Alas, Babylon..."
Those fateful words heralded the end. When the unthinkable nightmare of nuclear holocaust ravaged the United States, it was instant death for tens of millions of people; for survivors, it was a nightmare of hunger, sickness, and brutality. Overnight, a thousand years of...
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Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- Randy Bragg: The protagonist. He comes from an old Florida family who were part of the settlers of it in early American times. He lives off his family's fortune, land and does occasional work as a lawyer. He ends up taking in his brother's family after he tells him of the threat of nuclear war.
- Dan Gunn: Fort Repose's doctor and Randy's best friend. He came to Florida disillusioned after a bitter divorce from his wife. He ends up becoming very heroic after the war hits.
- Elizabeth "Lib" McGovern: Randy's current girlfriend when the story begins. She is smart, resourceful, and attractive. She and her family moved to Florida from the North.
- Helen Bragg: Mark's (Randy's brother's) wife. She is the mother of Ben Franklin and Peyton. She and her children are sent to stay at Randy's house because of Mark's fear of the imminent nuclear war.
- Mark Bragg: Randy's brother and an officer with the Strategic Air Command in Omaha. He warns Randy of the imminent nuclear war, and sends his wife, Helen, and their two children to stay with Randy.
- Malachai Henry: Randy's neighbor who often does odd jobs for Randy around his property. Malachai also helps run his family's farm.
- Bill McGovern: Lib's father. He has troubles with being satisfied with his life after retiring from his company.
- Ben Franklin: Mark and Helen's son. He is 13 years old at the beginning of the novel.
- Peyton: Mark and Helen's daughter. She is 11 years old at the beginning of the novel.
- Florence Wechek: Randy's neighbor. She is a gossipy older woman who runs the telegraph office.
- Admiral Sam Hazzard: A retired military man, and also one of Randy's neighbors. His hobby is operating a ham radio and tapping in on military frequencies.
- Rita Hernandez: Randy's former girlfriend. She is poor but beautiful and resourceful. She lives in the slum known as Pistolville.
- Alice Cooksey: She is the Fort Repose librarian and Florence's best friend.
- "Two-Tone" Henry: Malachai's lazy brother and Missouri's husband. He is called "Two-Tone" because his face has two shades of color.
- Missouri: Two-Tone's wife, she lives on the Henry's farm. She cleans houses for a living, including Randy's and the McGovern's.
- Edgar Quisenberry: The President of the Fort Repose bank. He is rather greedy and judgmental.
- Preacher Henry: Malachai and Two-Tone's father.
- Paul Hart: An officer in the Air Force, stationed in Orlando. He is also a friend of Mark and Randy.
- Pete Hernandez: Rita's brother and the owner of the Ajax Supermarket.
- Porky Logan: The local representative to the state legislature, he defeated Randy for office. He is fat and greedy.
- Lavinia McGovern: Lib's mother and Bill's wife. She suffers from diabetes and is prone to easy fright and fainting.
- Caleb Henry: Missouri's son, and friend to Ben Franklin and Peyton.
- Bubba Offenhaus: The owner of the local funeral parlor, and also the head of the local Civil Defense.
- Mrs. Josephine Vanbruuker-Brown: The Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare before the nuclear war.
Quotes edit
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“"We're going to have to be tough. We're going to have to be catfish."”
Randy Bragg -
“"You know, in a few more months the jungle will take over."”
Dan Gunn -
“With the use of the hydrogen bomb, the Christian era was dead, and with it must die the tradition of the Good Samaritan.”
-
“Censorship and thought control can exist only in secrecy and darkness.”
Alice Cooksey -
“"Nations are like people. When they grow old and rich and fat they get conservative. They exhaust their energy trying to keep things the way they are -- and that's against nature."”
Mark Bragg
Setting & Locations edit
Fort Repose, Florida
- Ft. Repose, FL
- Omaha, NE
- Orlando, FL
- Winter Park, FL: Rollins College
- Fort Repose
- River Road
- Central Florida
- Washington
- Miami
- Jacksonville
- United States
- New York
- Latakia
- Korea
- Balaam
- San Marco
- Babylon
- St. Johns
- Moscow
- Chicago
- Marines Park
- Pistolville
- Saratoga
- Tallahassee
- Timucuan County
- Tampa
- Russia
- Europe
- Conelrad
- Africa
- Adelaide
- Atlanta
- Kremlin
- Turkey
- Puerto Rico
- Hole
- England
- France
- London
First Sentence edit
In Fort Repose, a river town in Central Florida, it was said that sending a message by Western Union was the same as broadcasting it over the combined networks.
Table of Contents edit
Foreword
Chapters 1-13
Themes & Symbolism edit
- Survival: The struggle of a small community to survive after a nuclear war.
- Redemption: Describe this theme.
- Anti-War: The winning of a war isnt worth the destruction it causes
Series & Lists edit
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: J.B. Lippincott
Country: USA
Publication Date: 1959
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 352
Publisher: J.B. Lippincott
Country: USA
Publication Date: 1959
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 352
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PZ2001.F828 A32 1959
- Dewey: 813.54
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