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A review by sjgrodsky
Babbit by Sinclair Lewis
5.0
I first read this when I was in high school. I absolutely hated George Babbitt. I felt for him the sneering contempt that only a bright but sheltered 16 year old could feel for this jingoistic adherent of conventional wisdom.
Fifty years later, I feel some of the same contempt, but a lot more sympathy. And I see a lot more nuance in his character. I like, for example, that he's fascinated by motor cars, the cutting edge technology of his time. You have the feeling that if he were around in 2018, he'd be the guy with the latest iPhone. How typically American is that?
Of course, there's a lot to dislike about George Babbitt: he's racist and sexist and anti-immigrant and anti-union. He's on the wrong side of just about every social question of his time. And he's on the wrong side because he's fearful and intellectually lazy. These qualities were the ones that most attracted my 16 year old contempt. I would NEVER be like that.
It's telling also, and completely in character, that when Babbitt does rebel, his rebellion is about chiefly about sex, booze, and jazz, with only a little talk (and no action) about leftist politics. My teenage self noticed and excoriated the shallowness of his rebellion.
I'm not going to say that I've done a complete 180 turn in the last 50 years. I still think his politics are all wrong. The utterly unconscious sexism and racism makes this nearly century-old narrative appear to take place on a different planet. But I see two aspects now that I didn't see then:
1
--
Babbitt is terrified of being shunned by his social group. And that is a completely legitimate fear. He could lose his business, his home, his family, his friends, everything. What rational person wouldn't be afraid?
2
--
Babbitt does show just the tiniest measure of independence: he encourages his impulsively married son to follow his 20-something dreams. Yes, this is a cop out, because he's telling his son to do what he himself didn't have the courage to do. But he does place himself in opposition to the rest of his extended family and imply that his dream-pursuing son can expect support from a defeated dad.
It's a tiny, tentative, tenuous piece of rebellion. But it's the best we can expect from Babbitt. Or from most people.
Fifty years later, I feel some of the same contempt, but a lot more sympathy. And I see a lot more nuance in his character. I like, for example, that he's fascinated by motor cars, the cutting edge technology of his time. You have the feeling that if he were around in 2018, he'd be the guy with the latest iPhone. How typically American is that?
Of course, there's a lot to dislike about George Babbitt: he's racist and sexist and anti-immigrant and anti-union. He's on the wrong side of just about every social question of his time. And he's on the wrong side because he's fearful and intellectually lazy. These qualities were the ones that most attracted my 16 year old contempt. I would NEVER be like that.
It's telling also, and completely in character, that when Babbitt does rebel, his rebellion is about chiefly about sex, booze, and jazz, with only a little talk (and no action) about leftist politics. My teenage self noticed and excoriated the shallowness of his rebellion.
I'm not going to say that I've done a complete 180 turn in the last 50 years. I still think his politics are all wrong. The utterly unconscious sexism and racism makes this nearly century-old narrative appear to take place on a different planet. But I see two aspects now that I didn't see then:
1
--
Babbitt is terrified of being shunned by his social group. And that is a completely legitimate fear. He could lose his business, his home, his family, his friends, everything. What rational person wouldn't be afraid?
2
--
Babbitt does show just the tiniest measure of independence: he encourages his impulsively married son to follow his 20-something dreams. Yes, this is a cop out, because he's telling his son to do what he himself didn't have the courage to do. But he does place himself in opposition to the rest of his extended family and imply that his dream-pursuing son can expect support from a defeated dad.
It's a tiny, tentative, tenuous piece of rebellion. But it's the best we can expect from Babbitt. Or from most people.