Sinclair Lewis explores middle-class American life in the 1920s within his
eponymous novel by encapsulating the era’s materialism, conformity, and
urban growth. Against the backdrop of burgeoning suburban America, Lewis’
use of imagery, characterization, and satire to explore themes of
materialism, routine, and self-deception helps to critique societal values
while revealing the inner tensions of the character of George F. Babbitt. The
date highlights a post-war prosperity and an introduction to American
individualism, and by revealing how individuals navigate the demands of
industrial progress and societal expectations, the narrative’s linguistic
techniques and its thematic resonances are exemplified to portray American
literature from 1880-1940 and how it reveals the truths of America in its
post-war era.
The extract begins with a vibrant description of the suburban transformation,
highlighting the constructed utopian charm of Floral Heights. The use of
“bright roofs and immaculate turfs” helps to emphasise the dominance of
human creativity over nature, whilst portraying a rich and wealthy life as a
vibrant one. This parallel contrasts the ethos of the American Dream, in
which taming the wilderness symbolises success. The imagery reflects the
broader theme of the novel, where progress and material success often
come at the cost of authenticity. Floral Heights, with its pristine surfaces,
symbolizes a carefully constructed world, where the natural world is
subordinate to human control, mirroring the values of the community Babbitt
represents. Additionally, the “wilderness” being “of rank second-growth elms
and oaks and maples” illustrates an image of contrast between the
artificiality of suburban city life and the wild and untameable nature. Lewis
hints at the primitive truth of humanities past, almost as if these neat streets
and pristine houses are only temporary and the natural world is fighting back
for control. The text is riddled with contradictions and despite the “amazing
comfort”, Lewis uses authorial irony when he clarifies what this luxury once
“had been”: a green paradise.
As the protagonist is introduced, it is revealed just how much George F.
Babbitt embodies the archetypal middle-class man of 1920s America. By
having an “authentic love” for his surroundings, Lewis subtly implies that
Babbitt’s love for his environment is not a deep, existential attachment but
one shaped by consumerism and societal expectation. The use of a rule of
three in “his neighbourhood, his city, his clan” exemplifies how by being a
typical member of Zenith's hypocritical middle class, he will always feel a
sense of unity towards his fellow conformist neighbours. The description of
his mood shift, from “dawn depression” to being “ruddily cheerful,” mirrors
the societal optimism of the Roaring Twenties, a period defined by economic
growth and technological progress; however, this period was later ruined by
the economic downfall of the Great Depression. Babbitt’s obsession with
being “to the eye” shows how his love is less about human connection and
more about appreciating the signs of his own success. He is not someone
who finds meaning in the world through relationships or experiences but
through tangible, material proofs of his achievement. Lewis also describes
him as wearing “frameless spectacles”; by relating this to the theme of Dr
Eckleburg in another American classic, ‘The Great Gatsby’, the presence of
glasses represents moral blindness. He has the distorted, refracted light from
the spectacles, but doesn't have any frames to support material success of
his neighbourhood.
Through Babbitt’s experience at the gas station, Lewis explores themes of
consumerism, self-importance, and the comforting, but shallow routines of
suburban existence. Babbitt’s sense of satisfaction begins with the
“familiarity of the rite,” emphasizing his dependence on ritual as a stabilizing
presence in his life. Lewis’s description of the “immaculate porcelain jackets”
and “gold and silver” tire-chains suggests an almost obsessive attention to
cleanliness and status, indicative of Babbitt’s desire to surround himself with
material symbols that elevate his social standing. Additionally, the character
of Sylvester Moon makes Babbitt feel like a “person of importance”, feeding
his ego whilst underscoring his sense of inflated importance. Despite being a
downmarket to Babbitt, Moon knows how to please him with flattery and
casual appreciation of Babbitt’s wisdom. Lewis does this to accurately
portray the complexities of a capitalist system and how to benefit from it
effectively. These elements in the passage illustrate how Babbitt’s self-
esteem is inextricably linked to material possessions, social status, and the
routine of suburban life. The tension between individuality and societal
conformity recalls Theodore Dreiser’s ’Sister Carrie’, where characters
struggle with the dehumanizing forces of capitalism and modernity.
The exchange within the dialogue between Moon and Babbitt reveals a
complex dynamic of social interaction. Moon’s greeting “in a manner which
combined the independence of the great specialist, the friendliness of a
familiar gossip, and respect for a man of weight in the community” uses
triples in order to exaggerate the difference between the two men,
specifically in status. The full description of Moon’s responses to Babbitt
highlights how many variables the mechanic must’ve put together in order to
represent him a as part of the fabric of the local community. Babbitt, in this
moment, is in a state of ecstasy as he believes that his social standing is
secure and that his worth is validated by these small, yet validating
moments of recognition from others. However, this mental paradise is
brought back down to reality when Moon confirms to a common stereotype
of the lower class: debating about politics and human rights. The mechanic
asks “Who you rootin’ for for Republican candidate, Mr. Babbitt?”. The
wealthier man responds to this almost immediately, even on the exact same
line, spewing word vomit in a fit of panicked political conversation. He
believes in the importance of “sizing up” options and making “careful”
decisions, as if voting is a business transaction and not the scales that tip the
chances of life and poverty. This long winded, but eventually simplistic
statement reflects a broader political conservation during the 1920s: an era
that celebrated economic stability, business success, and the belief that the
government should align with capitalist values.
Conclusively, through Babbitt’s routines and reflections, Lewis encapsulates
the societal values of his time, offering a nuanced portrayal of a man torn
between genuine connection and shallow consumerism. Through Babbitt’s
character, Lewis explores the tensions between personal identity and
societal pressures, revealing the hollow nature of a life spent in pursuit of
outward success rather than deeper personal meaning or growth. The
passage exemplifies the emptiness of a life driven by societal expectations,
offering a critique of the American Dream’s promise of success through
material fulfillment. Using the era’s materialism, conformity, and urban
growth to elucidate the contrasts between the lower and barely-wealthy
middle class, Sinclair Lewis shows how victims of belief in the American
Dream will only ever be condemned to fruitless longing and a constant need
for validation.
