Alas Babylon: Whats in a Name?

Alas, Babylon: Whats

In A Name?

Alas Babylon is a story written about a nuclear attack and how people try to

survive. There are many drastic measures in which they use in order to stay alive. The

title of the book comes from the bible. Alas, Babylon which is kind of like a warning,

used in the apostle of John. The nuclear explosion nearly turned the world around over

anger. But toward the end everything seems to work out, and even though they went

through many hard times everyhting turns out allright.

After a nuclear attack takes the United States in suprise, The people of River

Road have to work together for the survival of everyone. Many people find little things

that they would usually take for granit to be of a lot

more value to them. Franks qoute,

"We're all going to learn how to walk again."(Frank 32) shows that he understands the

task ahead of them. There were such phases in which they would have to overcome the

problem. As if you have to learn to crawl before you can walk. They had to take it one

step at a time before they before they could walk.

We get the term Alas, Babylon from Revelation 17-18. The Bible tells us in

Revelation 18:10 "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 judjement come." This verse is

explaining to us the warning in which how thy judjement will come. Just like the book in

which Randy receives

the family qoute"Alas, Babylon" which he knows is the saying that

they heard in a local black church, which is a warning of the nuclear bomb.

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