Scan barcode
A review by bookstolivewith
Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
3.0
See more at instagram.com/bookstolivewith
Here’s the thing about Main Street by Sinclair Lewis — if you’re reading it, you’re in for the long haul and at some points, it will be a very long haul. If I had read this for a college class, I probably would have loved it because there’s so much to discuss and dissect and there’s the added benefit that Lewis’ writing is a masterclass in cultural satire, but as someone who is reading for fun, I cannot deny that the book can be quite dry and has large portions that might have seemed shocking or thought-provoking when it was published but hardly register now.
I do have some questions about how Carol (the protagonist) is used by Lewis to both entertain and educate his audience. Is Carol a girl who Lewis is making fun of for being occupied with silly, unpractical things in the face of real life? It seems unlikely given that Lewis was concerned with the same social and political ideas that Carol is. Or is she a girl who doesn’t understand the appeal of the simple life, something Lewis mirrors in his own attempt to leave the country for the city?
Or is Lewis merely using Carol as a symbol, to point out that millions of women and men at the time feel like her — trapped by social conventions, happy but also unhappy with their lives? That seems to be the best option, as far as I can tell, especially given the fact that although the book’s setting is earlier, it was published and popular in the 1920s, a time of both great highs and great lows for Americans.
We also see Carol correctly predict the future of women and some aspects of the future of the United States itself — are we as readers meant to view these predictions seriously, depending on how we feel about Carol? I think Lewis wants us to do so, but it’s hard to tell when the satire is so thick and Carol herself is such a wishy-washy character.
I guess at the end of reading what is ultimately a very dry but somewhat humorous satire, I’m still trying to figure out exactly why this book was so popular in its heyday.
Here’s the thing about Main Street by Sinclair Lewis — if you’re reading it, you’re in for the long haul and at some points, it will be a very long haul. If I had read this for a college class, I probably would have loved it because there’s so much to discuss and dissect and there’s the added benefit that Lewis’ writing is a masterclass in cultural satire, but as someone who is reading for fun, I cannot deny that the book can be quite dry and has large portions that might have seemed shocking or thought-provoking when it was published but hardly register now.
I do have some questions about how Carol (the protagonist) is used by Lewis to both entertain and educate his audience. Is Carol a girl who Lewis is making fun of for being occupied with silly, unpractical things in the face of real life? It seems unlikely given that Lewis was concerned with the same social and political ideas that Carol is. Or is she a girl who doesn’t understand the appeal of the simple life, something Lewis mirrors in his own attempt to leave the country for the city?
Or is Lewis merely using Carol as a symbol, to point out that millions of women and men at the time feel like her — trapped by social conventions, happy but also unhappy with their lives? That seems to be the best option, as far as I can tell, especially given the fact that although the book’s setting is earlier, it was published and popular in the 1920s, a time of both great highs and great lows for Americans.
We also see Carol correctly predict the future of women and some aspects of the future of the United States itself — are we as readers meant to view these predictions seriously, depending on how we feel about Carol? I think Lewis wants us to do so, but it’s hard to tell when the satire is so thick and Carol herself is such a wishy-washy character.
I guess at the end of reading what is ultimately a very dry but somewhat humorous satire, I’m still trying to figure out exactly why this book was so popular in its heyday.