Lewis-Babbitt

Prosperous and socially prominent George Babbitt appears to have everything a man could wish: good health a fine family and a profitable business in a booming Midwestern city. But the middle-aged real estate agent is shaken from his self-satisfaction by a growing restlessness with the limitations of his life. When a personal crisis forces a reexamination of his values Babbitt mounts a rebellion against social expectations — jeopardizing his reputation and business standing as well as his marriage.Widely considered Sinclair Lewis's greatest novel this satire of the American social landscape created a sensation upon its 1922 publication. Babbitt's name became an instant and enduring synonym for middle-class complacency and the strictures of his existence revealed the emptiness of the mainstream vision of success. His story reflects the nature of a conformist society in which the pressures of maintaining propriety can ultimately cause individuals to lose their place in the world.Babbitt ranks among the important 20th-century works addressing the struggles of people caught in the machinery of modern life and it remains ever-relevant as a cautionary tale against clinging to conventional values.