Babbitt By Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) Essay, Research Paper

When Sinclair Lewis wrote Babbitt, he

succeeded in creating a caricature of success typifying the mind-set of

the twenties. The “big booster” filled with “vim and vigor,” Babbitt is

a character without a real soul. He gleans his opinions from newspapers

or from business peers. Even Babbitt’s extra-marital affair is a “standard

deviation.”

Lewis attempts to indict these “standard”

symbols of American prosperity – popularity, hidden pleasures, money, shiny

cars, and self-obsession – by citing the weaknesses of both radical and

conservative viewpoints. George is truly discontent in both settings. While

Babbitt has been criticized for its lack of character depth, it seems that

it would have been impossible to make Babbitt profound. The satirical essence

of the novel requires that George be shallow and complacently mediocre.

Lewis does provide some hope symbolized by Ted, who does exactly what his

father would have liked to have done. However, perhaps Babbitt’s reaction

to his son’s elopement suggests that there is still something more to him

than a cardboard front. Ted’s question to his father at novel’s end divulges

the true message of Babbitt: “Gosh, dad, are you really going to be human?”