Excuse you?

In Babylon Revisited by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there is a passage that demonstrates just how sexist the 1930's generation was: when Charlie is asking Marion and Lincoln if his child can live with him. "'Do what you like!' she cried, springing up from her chair. 'She's your child. I'm not the person to stand in your way. I think if it were my child I'd rather see her-' She managed to check herself. "You two decide it. I can't stand this. I'm sick. I'm going to bed.' She hurried from the room...'This has been a hard day for her...' His voice was almost apologetic: "When a woman gets an idea in her head.' 'Of course.'" (pg. 2210) That line is so offensive and hurtful to me. How can Lincoln say that when he knows it is not just an "idea" she is sticking to. Marion feels strongly about her sisters death and to me, that is a very legitimate reason to hate a man--if you thought he was responsible for a loved one dying. She even mentioned she cannot stand in the way and that it was not her decision to make, which was a pretty mature thing to say. I admire her for having enough dignity to be the bigger person and walk away from something that she would like to fight for, because she feels as if it is the right thing to do. I disagree with her on that note; I think Charlie does not even deserve to have custody of his child anyway due to his alcoholism and mere recklessness. He was not fit for parenting then, and nothing has changed. Alcoholism is a sickness and an addiction that people cannot escape unless they stop drinking all together, which he clearly has not and is still drinking one-a-day. So, Marion is far from wrong in her reluctance to make Charlie a parental figure again. And furthermore, she is not just holding onto an "idea." She is actually using her mind a lot more than the men in this story are.