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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
it was kinda a slow read at first but it really picks up at the end which made it worth reading though i thought it was sometimes repetitive in it's constant contradicions.
funny
reflective
slow-paced
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book! The characters are awful, but the book makes fun of them a lot of the times. They do terrible things. Babbitt does, in the end, show some glimmer of development, so there is a little hope
'Babbitt' by Sinclair Lewis has dated vocabulary which was common to Babbitt's class of Midwestern businessmen of the 1920's, but there is nothing dated about the book's themes! Frankly, it is shocking that I can see almost no change of attitudes in the social class Lewis is focusing on in the novel even though this book was written in 1922.
From the Barnes and Noble edition's book cover:
"In the small midwestern city of Zenith, George Babbitt seems to have it all: a successful real-estate business, a devoted wife, three children, and a house with all the modern conveniences. Yet, dissatisfied and lonely, he’s begun to question the conformity, consumerism, and competitiveness of his conservative, and ultimately cultureless middle-class community. His despairing sense that something, many things are missing from his life leads him into a flirtation with liberal politics and a fling with an attractive and seemingly "bohemian” widow. But he soon finds that his attempts at rebellion may cost more than he is willing to pay. "
Readers should note Lewis writes from the viewpoint of his characters, slyly exposing their ugly social-class prejudices and the casual cruelties of their tunnel vision. Of course, these people see nothing wrong in how they live or what they believe. Everyone they associate themselves with enforces their beliefs. The main characters live inside an echo chamber of parroted slogans.They trod a narrow path of judgemental righteousness dependent on a lockstepped white middle-class conservative conventionality. There is obvious racism, anti-Jewish rhetoric, and a scorn of the working-class and their efforts to form unions. Women are dull-eyed married matrons or "fast" in their eyes. Elite-university educations are suspicious since those possessing such an education might mean a lack of support in the self-serving sensibilities of these American Chamber of Commerce/Protestant church members. People who come back from trips to Europe are seen as possibly infected with European-style male 'effeminacy' - an interest in abnormal Art or Music. However, there is complete obliviousness of their own class's prejudices and faults.
The shallow conformity and social group-think is enforced by a threat of shunning and loss of financial opportunities. Successful integration into business group norms is rewarded with respect and inclusion, with invites to mens' clubs.
Will Babbitt climb out of the deep valley of narrow perspectives?
The novel covers the same territory as [b:Appointment in Samarra|126583|Appointment in Samarra|John O'Hara|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320446769l/126583._SY75_.jpg|2555382]. [b:Jude the Obscure|50798|Jude the Obscure|Thomas Hardy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389403264l/50798._SY75_.jpg|41342119] goes there as well. Being around square cog trying to fit into a square round hole can work - or maybe not. It depends on if one is able to file down those edges of who you really are, gentle reader, and what you are willing to give up to fit. Rewards can be great, or miniscule. Of course, moving from a social class to another social class has often been made impossibly ruinous by involved people. Not to mention the raw evil of using prejudices or power to unjustly destroy people who have the temerity of wanting to leave a group because of the implied criticism that entails.
From the Barnes and Noble edition's book cover:
"In the small midwestern city of Zenith, George Babbitt seems to have it all: a successful real-estate business, a devoted wife, three children, and a house with all the modern conveniences. Yet, dissatisfied and lonely, he’s begun to question the conformity, consumerism, and competitiveness of his conservative, and ultimately cultureless middle-class community. His despairing sense that something, many things are missing from his life leads him into a flirtation with liberal politics and a fling with an attractive and seemingly "bohemian” widow. But he soon finds that his attempts at rebellion may cost more than he is willing to pay. "
Readers should note Lewis writes from the viewpoint of his characters, slyly exposing their ugly social-class prejudices and the casual cruelties of their tunnel vision. Of course, these people see nothing wrong in how they live or what they believe. Everyone they associate themselves with enforces their beliefs. The main characters live inside an echo chamber of parroted slogans.They trod a narrow path of judgemental righteousness dependent on a lockstepped white middle-class conservative conventionality. There is obvious racism, anti-Jewish rhetoric, and a scorn of the working-class and their efforts to form unions. Women are dull-eyed married matrons or "fast" in their eyes. Elite-university educations are suspicious since those possessing such an education might mean a lack of support in the self-serving sensibilities of these American Chamber of Commerce/Protestant church members. People who come back from trips to Europe are seen as possibly infected with European-style male 'effeminacy' - an interest in abnormal Art or Music. However, there is complete obliviousness of their own class's prejudices and faults.
The shallow conformity and social group-think is enforced by a threat of shunning and loss of financial opportunities. Successful integration into business group norms is rewarded with respect and inclusion, with invites to mens' clubs.
Will Babbitt climb out of the deep valley of narrow perspectives?
The novel covers the same territory as [b:Appointment in Samarra|126583|Appointment in Samarra|John O'Hara|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320446769l/126583._SY75_.jpg|2555382]. [b:Jude the Obscure|50798|Jude the Obscure|Thomas Hardy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389403264l/50798._SY75_.jpg|41342119] goes there as well. Being a
Sinclair Lewis wrote this satirical story about our current times in 1922. How prescient he was!
George Babbitt, a successful real-estate salesman in the fictional mid-western Zenith, can't figure out why he isn't happy. He tries money, alcohol, religion, women, all in rapid succession, but gradually comes to realize true happiness comes from within.
This book is entertaining, and I seriously had to keep flipping back to check the publication date, because, outside of a few 'high-balls' and way too many secretaries, this could have been written today. You watch a movie from the 1920s and you'll see Charlie Chaplin or Rudy Valentino hamming it up on the silent screen. Don't be fooled; they were exactly as we are today.
George Babbitt, a successful real-estate salesman in the fictional mid-western Zenith, can't figure out why he isn't happy. He tries money, alcohol, religion, women, all in rapid succession, but gradually comes to realize true happiness comes from within.
This book is entertaining, and I seriously had to keep flipping back to check the publication date, because, outside of a few 'high-balls' and way too many secretaries, this could have been written today. You watch a movie from the 1920s and you'll see Charlie Chaplin or Rudy Valentino hamming it up on the silent screen. Don't be fooled; they were exactly as we are today.
Either a late example of liberal social critique, or an early depiction of suburban middle-class ennui. It's both, really, which makes it simultaneously out of touch and ahead of its time.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Pretty good character study of a middleclass social climber.
shelfnotes.com
Dear Reader,
This book reminded me in many ways of Updike's Rabbit, Run - and I don't think that's just because the titles kind of rhyme. They both revolve around an indecisive protagonist who is striving desperately to figure out happiness in a postmodern world. I think I liked this one better, though, perhaps because the main character - despite his many flaws - was much more likable than Updike's.
It's taken me a pretty long time to write the review of this book. I am unsure why. I really loved it; it is truly a classic and has so much to say about America at the time. But...I wasn't quite sure what to SAY about it. I'm still kind of at a loss for words, except for: I highly recommend it!
I did find it interesting that the book was written & took place in the 1920s. Oddly, I had a difficult time keeping that in mind, for two major reasons:
One, I couldn't equate it in time with other books I'd read recently (The Other Typist, The Dressmaker), even though they were written about relatively the same time period. This, I believe, was due to Lewis writing about an entirely new & different place: suburbia! And this book examined in depth the fragility of the modern American dream, which the other two books did not do. The Other Typist, for instance, centered much more around Prohibition than did Babbit, although Babbit's life did revolve somewhat around the illegality of alcohol. Strangely, though, the author made it feel like this was just a fact of life, and that people were going to drink anyway. Perhaps it is how society feels these days about marijuana - nobody really seems to care who uses it, but it is still against the law in many places.
Two, I kept pausing to think about how so much didn't change for entire decades in the early twentieth century -- this book just as well could have taken place in 1950, rather than 1920. Or in any of the intervening years! I often found myself thinking it was written in the post-WWII era. And when I'd catch myself doing that, I would go off on a tangent thinking about how things didn't change for so many years. But when they did, they did so exponentially. Nowadays, if a protagonist uses a flip cell phone instead of a smartphone, the book is already dated for the reader. How strange is that?!
I know this isn't speaking much to the actual quality or content of the book, but I can't really say much about the story itself - there was one, but it was pretty much the vehicle for an examination of poor George Babbit's life. His experiences as he became roped into being a family man at a young age, found himself in the rat race without even really noticing, first trying to embrace the situation, then rebelling quite drastically, then trying once again to find his place. A very interesting study of a very distinct slice of life: the America of "yesteryear." And a man who could be truly be anyone.
Yours,
Arianna
Dear Reader,
This book reminded me in many ways of Updike's Rabbit, Run - and I don't think that's just because the titles kind of rhyme. They both revolve around an indecisive protagonist who is striving desperately to figure out happiness in a postmodern world. I think I liked this one better, though, perhaps because the main character - despite his many flaws - was much more likable than Updike's.
It's taken me a pretty long time to write the review of this book. I am unsure why. I really loved it; it is truly a classic and has so much to say about America at the time. But...I wasn't quite sure what to SAY about it. I'm still kind of at a loss for words, except for: I highly recommend it!
I did find it interesting that the book was written & took place in the 1920s. Oddly, I had a difficult time keeping that in mind, for two major reasons:
One, I couldn't equate it in time with other books I'd read recently (The Other Typist, The Dressmaker), even though they were written about relatively the same time period. This, I believe, was due to Lewis writing about an entirely new & different place: suburbia! And this book examined in depth the fragility of the modern American dream, which the other two books did not do. The Other Typist, for instance, centered much more around Prohibition than did Babbit, although Babbit's life did revolve somewhat around the illegality of alcohol. Strangely, though, the author made it feel like this was just a fact of life, and that people were going to drink anyway. Perhaps it is how society feels these days about marijuana - nobody really seems to care who uses it, but it is still against the law in many places.
Two, I kept pausing to think about how so much didn't change for entire decades in the early twentieth century -- this book just as well could have taken place in 1950, rather than 1920. Or in any of the intervening years! I often found myself thinking it was written in the post-WWII era. And when I'd catch myself doing that, I would go off on a tangent thinking about how things didn't change for so many years. But when they did, they did so exponentially. Nowadays, if a protagonist uses a flip cell phone instead of a smartphone, the book is already dated for the reader. How strange is that?!
I know this isn't speaking much to the actual quality or content of the book, but I can't really say much about the story itself - there was one, but it was pretty much the vehicle for an examination of poor George Babbit's life. His experiences as he became roped into being a family man at a young age, found himself in the rat race without even really noticing, first trying to embrace the situation, then rebelling quite drastically, then trying once again to find his place. A very interesting study of a very distinct slice of life: the America of "yesteryear." And a man who could be truly be anyone.
Yours,
Arianna
This has been one of the rare books that I have started with the intention of getting through in order to get rid of the physical book, but ended up being really wrapped up in, and wanting to keep. Babbitt is one of those rare books that truly requires further study and reflection. It’s a book that requires time and mulling. There is effectively no over-arching plot, yet Sinclair Lewis maintains audience attention in captivating self-reflection, parody, and social criticism.
This book came out in 1922, and there are quite a few outmoded and quite racist dialogues and comments in the novel - at least two anti-Semitic passages, and one anti-Black passage. I advise anyone reading that this may be triggering. Usually when I encounter this blatant, unapologetic hatred and derision in literature, I am so uncomfortable that I want to put down the book. This was not the case with Babbitt. Through using Babbitt as a sort of Everyman, middle-class-“good”-citizen-man archetype, Lewis is able to distance himself and his opinions from the novel itself - and present a time capsule image of the cis-white American capitalist man in 1920s prosperity. Presenting this image, ready for criticism, allows the reader to form their own opinions of Babbitt, and more importantly, judge this era and this group of people as they truly were. Rather than brushing over or ignoring the racism of the era, the book represents it - Lewis is not aimed at glorifying anything or belittling it either.
Indeed, Babbitt is not a sympathetic character, and that is the essential quality of the novel. We care not if he succeeds or fails in his endeavors, we are completely outside because Babbitt himself seems to lack an internal life. Although he suffers from shifting aims, and a life without true direction, he lacks the powerlessness that would make a reader empathize with him. Here is a man, fully capable, fully in power, who is not happy. And in this way, we can reflect more on American society, and the structure of the economy that molds and forms such a man, without getting too bogged down with his individuality (which he completely lacks). Babbitt is completely susceptible to the thoughts and actions of those around him, and his temporary allegiances — and in such, he is an amalgamation of all the ‘great’ men of Zenith - even as that definition changes for Babbitt.
So many topics are touched upon in this winding yet captivating novel - religion, citizenship, marriage, morality, friendship, business, law, family. It’d take me a year at least to pick it apart and put back together, but still I’d have no answers. And truly, I love a novel that doesn’t tell you how to think, or provide false hope for our never ending problems. I’d love to teach this book alongside Death of a Salesman, Ethan Frome, and other novels that touch upon labor. For truly, that is the toil of our lives, and it is ignored far too much in literature because it is truly problematic and distressing — yet we should talk about that which we spend the majority of our waking time doing. I mean how long does it take to fall in love - a topic of which there are millions of books on- versus how much time an individual spends working in their life. The mere fact that it is generally ignored, proves to me that there is ugliness abound in that direction.
I think I’ll keep my musty little 70 year old book, ugly as it is.
This book came out in 1922, and there are quite a few outmoded and quite racist dialogues and comments in the novel - at least two anti-Semitic passages, and one anti-Black passage. I advise anyone reading that this may be triggering. Usually when I encounter this blatant, unapologetic hatred and derision in literature, I am so uncomfortable that I want to put down the book. This was not the case with Babbitt. Through using Babbitt as a sort of Everyman, middle-class-“good”-citizen-man archetype, Lewis is able to distance himself and his opinions from the novel itself - and present a time capsule image of the cis-white American capitalist man in 1920s prosperity. Presenting this image, ready for criticism, allows the reader to form their own opinions of Babbitt, and more importantly, judge this era and this group of people as they truly were. Rather than brushing over or ignoring the racism of the era, the book represents it - Lewis is not aimed at glorifying anything or belittling it either.
Indeed, Babbitt is not a sympathetic character, and that is the essential quality of the novel. We care not if he succeeds or fails in his endeavors, we are completely outside because Babbitt himself seems to lack an internal life. Although he suffers from shifting aims, and a life without true direction, he lacks the powerlessness that would make a reader empathize with him. Here is a man, fully capable, fully in power, who is not happy. And in this way, we can reflect more on American society, and the structure of the economy that molds and forms such a man, without getting too bogged down with his individuality (which he completely lacks). Babbitt is completely susceptible to the thoughts and actions of those around him, and his temporary allegiances — and in such, he is an amalgamation of all the ‘great’ men of Zenith - even as that definition changes for Babbitt.
So many topics are touched upon in this winding yet captivating novel - religion, citizenship, marriage, morality, friendship, business, law, family. It’d take me a year at least to pick it apart and put back together, but still I’d have no answers. And truly, I love a novel that doesn’t tell you how to think, or provide false hope for our never ending problems. I’d love to teach this book alongside Death of a Salesman, Ethan Frome, and other novels that touch upon labor. For truly, that is the toil of our lives, and it is ignored far too much in literature because it is truly problematic and distressing — yet we should talk about that which we spend the majority of our waking time doing. I mean how long does it take to fall in love - a topic of which there are millions of books on- versus how much time an individual spends working in their life. The mere fact that it is generally ignored, proves to me that there is ugliness abound in that direction.
I think I’ll keep my musty little 70 year old book, ugly as it is.