26 pages • 52 minutes read
Stephen Vincent BenétBy the Waters of Babylon
Fiction | Short Story | YA | Published in 1937A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Destruction of War
Published in 1937, “By the Waters of Babylon” reflects the destruction the world witnessed during World War I and foreshadows the anguish that was to come only a few years later in World War II. Benét’s descriptions of “mist that poisoned” and “fire falling out of the sky” mimic the chemical and aerial warfare used for the first time during World War I (9). Europe was decimated by trench warfare and bombings that harmed both soldiers and civilians, much like the Place of the Gods experiences in the story.
Benét’s portrayal of a postapocalyptic New York reveals the destruction of war. In John’s visions, he sees the city in its thriving glory. He describes gods on chariots, which refer to automobiles, bridges and tunnels under the city, and brightly lit skyscrapers filling the skyline. In John’s eyes, the gods were able to create something beyond any human ability, for “it was magic what they could do—it was magic what they did” (8). Despite the magical quality of the Place of the Gods, all its power could not withstand the immense force of war. What were once tall, shiny skyscrapers became “the ruins of the high towers of the gods,” and the bridges that carried the weight of thousands of cars and gods were left “cracked and broken” (5).
However, “By the Waters of Babylon” also depicts the social and emotional destruction caused by war. Despite the significant amount of time since the Great Burning, long enough for bodies to decay and myths and legends to rewrite the truth of the past, the Hill People continue to live in fear of the violence that occurred. Their laws forbid them from going near the places that were destroyed, and things like metal—which was used to make the weapons that destroyed them—are believed to cause them to burn up on the spot. War destroys more than just physical spaces and things; war destroys cultures, ways of living, and even the possibility of progress.
Coming of Age
John, the protagonist and narrator, transforms from a child into an adult over the course of “By the Waters of Babylon.” His initiation into adulthood begins when he announces, “It is time for me to go on my journey” (2). As a child, John displays bravery and commitment to his community, but he needs continual guidance and care from his father and other elders. When he first begins accompanying the priests to the Dead Places, he stands on the outside feeling “small and weak" (1). The other members of the Hill People take care of the future priest by giving him the good meat and the warmest corner near the fire.
Many cultures have rituals, ceremonies, and practices to indicate one’s entrance to adulthood, and the Hill People are not excluded from that tradition. John’s ceremonies include a process of purification, a questioning by his father about his dreams and visions that reveal his spiritual maturity, and a period of fasting.
Despite the significance of the ceremonies the Hill People practice, John’s true rite of passage is his journey over the river into the Place of the Gods. Coming-of-age stories reveal more than just physical maturity; these stories depict a growth into autonomy, independence, wisdom, and often a departure from what is familiar. John’s choices to break the laws by traveling east, crossing the Great River, and setting foot in the Place of the Gods are the first decisions he makes based on his own ideas and beliefs rather than those imposed on him by his community. As he takes each new step forward, he feels “troubled” because of what he believes from his childhood, but he knows that he “must go” because of the convictions in his heart (3). John’s ability to wrestle with these challenging internal conflicts reveals his growing independence and maturity.
The raft itself symbolizes the finality of John’s transformation. John commits to the new, mature version of himself when he pushes “the raft from the shore” (5), choosing to complete his journey rather than leaving it unfinished. When John arrives at the Place of the Gods, he watches the raft go “whirling downstream toward the Bitter Water,” indicating the permanence of his decision (5). He cannot return to his childhood even if he wants to.
When John returns from his rite of passage, he brings new knowledge and wisdom to the Hill People. The roles between him and his father reverse; rather than the father teaching and John learning, John “t[ells] and [his father] listen[s]” (9). Because of his transformation into adulthood, John has newfound power to teach others, even those who were once above him, and instruct his community about how they must move forward.
The Pursuit of Knowledge
The protagonist’s pursuit of knowledge shapes the short story’s characterization, structure, and overall meaning. From his childhood, John’s thirst for knowledge defines his character. His training as a priest’s son includes learning how to read and write, and the challenges of deciphering pre-apocalyptic texts develop his work ethic and determination. Rather than being content with established explanations, John longs to learn more about the mysterious gods: “Most of all, I liked to hear of the Old Days and the stories of the gods. I asked myself many questions that I could not answer, but it was good to ask them” (1). The narrator sees knowledge as what sets him apart from the other members of his culture as well as what divides his people from their enemies, who hunt John near the story’s end: “We are not ignorant like the Forest People […] we have not forgotten the old writings, although they are hard to understand” (2). Knowledge shapes the protagonist’s identity by giving him joy, courage, and motivation.
John’s search for knowledge follows the pattern of the hero’s journey. His dream about the Place of the Gods provides a call to adventure, encouraging him to find the answers he craves. His most important insights can be gained only through firsthand experience, so he must undertake a voyage from the familiar to the forbidden. On his journey, he faces tests and enemies. One of the most formidable obstacles is the mighty river, a force of nature that shows him the limits of his knowledge. However, even as he performs funerary rites for himself, his curiosity is greater than his fear of death: “My heart was cold as a frog and my knees like water, but the burning in my mind would not let me have peace” (4). His quest for learning also emboldens him during his time in the house, which he initially believes belonged to a god: “Everywhere there were books and writings, many in tongues that I could not read. The god who lived there must have been a wise god and full of knowledge. I felt I had a right there, as I sought knowledge also” (7). Entering the house represents the approach to the inmost cave, and the night John passes there is his ordeal. Indeed, he finds the prospect so harrowing that he almost wishes to face the pack of wild dogs instead.
Further developing the link between the hero’s journey and the theme of the pursuit of knowledge, John’s reward is the revelation that the gods were humans who unleashed destruction upon one another. The dead body provides the most important revelation uncovered in the whole story: “I knew then that they had been men, neither gods nor demons. It is a great knowledge, hard to tell and believe” (9). John is aware that his discovery goes against his people’s most closely cherished beliefs, but he fulfills the final stage of the hero’s journey, the return with the elixir, by sharing his discovery with his father.
John’s heroic journey shows him that knowledge must be accompanied by wisdom, and he seeks to learn from the mistakes of the past as much as the advancements. His father’s reasoning for not sharing everything with the other Hill People also explains why society collapsed: “If you eat too much truth at once, you may die of the truth” (9). As the story comes to an end, John’s quest for knowledge continues. He and his father gather books from the Dead Places with the ultimate goal of learning from their predecessors and rebuilding society. The protagonist’s pursuit of knowledge speaks to the insatiable curiosity of the human spirit and the importance of tempering knowledge with wisdom.
