ENG3705
Assignment 3
Due September 2025
, ENG3705
Assignment 3
DUE September 2025
CHAPTER 32 OF BABEL
In Chapter 32 of Babel (2022: 516–526), Letty Price cries out in despair: “I just want
things to go back to the way they were. We had a future together, all of us.” This plea
encapsulates the central paradox of Kuang’s novel: the nostalgic yearning for stability in
the face of irreparable rupture. Chapter 32 stages the disintegration of the Babel
cohort—Robin, Ramy, Victoire, and Letty—as they confront betrayal, complicity, and
rebellion. The thematic question posed by Letty, whether things can return to the way
they once were, operates as a microcosm of the novel’s broader interrogation of
colonial history. Yet the answer is categorical: history is irreversible. Once violence,
betrayal, and political awakening occur, the “old order” is lost forever.
This essay argues that restoration is impossible because betrayal irreversibly destroys
trust, because the colonial structures underlying the characters’ relationships are
unmasked, and because revolutionary struggle transforms individuals beyond the
possibility of return. At the same time, Chapter 32 highlights the tragic human yearning
for reconciliation, illuminating why Letty’s words resonate despite their futility.
The Irreversibility of Betrayal
Letty’s anguished plea follows her act of betrayal in alerting the authorities and setting in
motion the fatal confrontation at Babel. This decision shatters the fragile trust that had
once bound the four students together. While their friendship had always been fraught,
Assignment 3
Due September 2025
, ENG3705
Assignment 3
DUE September 2025
CHAPTER 32 OF BABEL
In Chapter 32 of Babel (2022: 516–526), Letty Price cries out in despair: “I just want
things to go back to the way they were. We had a future together, all of us.” This plea
encapsulates the central paradox of Kuang’s novel: the nostalgic yearning for stability in
the face of irreparable rupture. Chapter 32 stages the disintegration of the Babel
cohort—Robin, Ramy, Victoire, and Letty—as they confront betrayal, complicity, and
rebellion. The thematic question posed by Letty, whether things can return to the way
they once were, operates as a microcosm of the novel’s broader interrogation of
colonial history. Yet the answer is categorical: history is irreversible. Once violence,
betrayal, and political awakening occur, the “old order” is lost forever.
This essay argues that restoration is impossible because betrayal irreversibly destroys
trust, because the colonial structures underlying the characters’ relationships are
unmasked, and because revolutionary struggle transforms individuals beyond the
possibility of return. At the same time, Chapter 32 highlights the tragic human yearning
for reconciliation, illuminating why Letty’s words resonate despite their futility.
The Irreversibility of Betrayal
Letty’s anguished plea follows her act of betrayal in alerting the authorities and setting in
motion the fatal confrontation at Babel. This decision shatters the fragile trust that had
once bound the four students together. While their friendship had always been fraught,
