en up till then. However, there is much biography in the works of Lewis, including themes, setting and even characterization. Despite his satire of the elements of American society he despised, he was dualistic in his sentiments about American society as he truly loved the landscapes and people at whom he chose quite often to poke a stick, “There is much disguised biography in Lewis’ work, and many suggestions of Lewis himself in his characters. A romancer as well as a realist and satirist, he loved the Babbitts and Main Streets of America even as he deplored them” (Murphy 597). From this author I expect a scathing attack on the elements and character of American society he despised while still expecting to find the genuine love for the people and places of America the author embodied.
The novel Babbitt is basically about how modern society saps the potential out of human beings because they must have a certain measure of courage to be able to fulfill their individual potential in the face of an often hostile, indifferent and ostracizing environment. George Follansbee Babbitt is a middle-aged realtor in Zenith, the Zip City. Babbitt is active in his local community, he is a booster, but he lacks imagination, has an over-inflated opinion of himself and is firmly entrenched in the middle-class rut and routine. For a brief moment in his existence, the feelings of dissatisfaction with his life are strong enough to urge Babbitt to look for excitement. He flirts precariously with liberalism and even more so with an attractive widow, but, alas, he discovers he has not the courage to withstand the social ostracism he encounters during this stab at “living”. Thus, he remains a victim of his need for community even if it leaves him longing inside. He does, at least, encourage his son to rebel against the very norms he and his middle-class peers embody. The author’s main thesis appears to be that we a
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