Alas, Babylon
Pat Frank
AKA Harry Hart
Relevance
• Still today there is a threat of
nuclear devastation of the
world continues to be a
possibility
Title’s Meaning
Revelation 18:10, King James version of the
Christian Bible:
“Standing afar off for the fear of her torment,
saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that
mighty city! For in one hour is thy judgment
come.”
Setting
 Fort Repose, Florida
 a small town, quite a distance from all major
cities in Florida)
 late 1950s-early 1960s during the Cold War
with Russia
Themes
Survival against the odds
Personal redemption & recovery
War
Breakdown of society
Isolation
Love
Major Characters
• Randy Bragg (Protagonist - young,
unmarried, ex-military alcoholic)
• Dan Gunn (friend of Randy and recently
divorced doctor of small town)
• Mark Bragg (military big-wig stationed at
SAC in Omaha, Nebraska; warns that
nuclear war is coming)
 Helen Bragg (Mark’s wife)
 Peyton (Mark and Helen’s daughter, age 11)
 Ben Franklin (Mark and Helen’s son, age 13)
 Lib (Elizabeth) McGovern (Randy’s girlfriend)
Secondary / Minor Characters
• Florence Wechek (Randy’s neighbor, a Western
Union operator, the town gossip)
• Alice Cooksey (town librarian and Florence’s best
friend)
• Bill McGovern (Lib's father)
• Admiral Hazzard (A retired naval officer, a ham
radio operator; neighbor to Randy)
The Henrys- black family, neighbor to Randy
and Admiral Hazzard
 Missouri Henry (Randy’s cleaning lady)
 Malachai Henry (mechanic, served in “The
War”)
 Two-tone Henry
 Preacher Henry (the minister who inspired the
brothers’ code “Alas, Babylon”)
Plot
 Mark sends Randy the message “Alas, Babylon”
 Helen and the children come to stay indefinitely
with Randy, while Mark stays behind to work
 Randy tries to prepare for the worst
 Nuclear bombs drop on all major US cities (and
major cities of US Allies)
 Randy and his neighbors try to survive the effects
Traits
Actions
Chapter 1
*bottom of page 6 ("Randy watched Florence's...") to top of page 9 ("I believe in the Constitution of the United Stated - all of it.")
Chapter 1
“Alas, Babylon was a private, a family signal” – pg. 14
“…their private synonym for disaster, real or comic, past or future” – pg. 15
“But in this telegram it had a very special and exact meaning.” – pg. 15
*middle of page 12 ("Now the Bragg holdings..." to the top of page 15 ("Just one hour Alas, Babylon!")
Take care of
Helen, Benjamin
Franklin (13),
and Peyton (11)!
*top of page 34 ("Four subs is a lot of subs...") to the bottom of page 37
 Randy arrives at McCoy Air Force Base. It’s almost totally deserted.
 “Some buggy you got here. Won’t be worth a ‘darn’ to you” – pg.
30
 Randy’s brother Mark says that there are 4 Soviet subs close to the
U.S.. That’s a lot when there shouldn’t be any.
 Mark gives Randy a $5000 check. “Cash it, today if you can…”
 Brothers say goodbye and Randy is told to take care of Helen, Ben
Franklin, and Peyton
 “He knew he should not have spared time for tears and would not,
ever again.” – pg. 37
 Already Randy’s character is changing.
 Randy’s shopping trip!
 Randy and Malachi’s conversation – artesian water well (sulphur
water); can’t be contaminated by radiation or fallout!
 “More important than anything he had listed was water, free of
dangerous bacilli, unpolluted by poisons human, chemical, or
radioactive. Pure water was essential to his civilization.” – pg. 51
*top of page 42 ("Randy walked into the bank's office...") to the bottom of page 43 ("Good afternoon, Fish-eye")
*top of page 44 ("Randy's first stop was Ajax...") to near the bottom of page 45 ("They would be certain he was mad."
*top of page 49 ("'Malachai,' Randy said, 'I want to ask you a serious question.'") to the middle of page 50 ("But that sulphur
water ain't bad. You gets to like it.")
Henry Family
(Randy’s Neighbors)
Randy’s maid
Randy’s childhood
friend; works on
Randy’s orchard now
 “Peewee may be a mouse aboard ship but he’s a
tiger in a Tiger. If I sent him up with orders to shoot
down the moon, he’d try.” – pg. 69
 Sidewinder: heat seeking, short range, air to air
missiles
 Syrian train bombing (ACCIDENT!)
Mark sends Helen and the kids away
“This is an evacuation, isn’t it, Dad?”



“It might upset their timetable but I’m afraid
they’re all upset. It might just give Kremlin an
excuse” - Mark
“As long as people keep talking, they’re not
fighting. When Moscow quits talking, I’m afraid
they’re acting.” - Mark
“Under the law, the President “owned” the nuclear
bombs and missile warheads. Before the SAC could
use the warheads, the permission of the Presidentor his survivor in a line of succession-must be
secured.”

“Object, may be missile, fired from Soviet
base…Sensitivity radar now has four objects
on its screens. Speed and trajectory
indicates they are ballistic missiles” - Ace

“Thanks for the 95 seconds”
-General
 Page 91