Main Street (novel)

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Main Street

Author	Sinclair Lewis
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Drama
Publisher	Penguin Classics
Released	October 1, 1995 (reprint edition)
Media Type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	448 pages
ISBN	ISBN 0-14-018901-7

The satirical novel Main Street by Sinclair Lewis was published in 1920. It is set in Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, a fictionalized version of Sauk Centre, Minnesota, Lewis’s hometown.

Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science 3 Literary significance & criticism 4 Awards and nominations 5 See also 6 External link

[edit] Plot summary

Carol Milford is a liberal, free-spirited young woman, raised in the metropolis of Minneapolis. She marries Will Kennicott, a doctor, who is a small-town boy at heart. When they marry, Will convinces her to live in Gopher Prairie, where he was raised. Carol tries to convince herself that Gopher Prairie isn't so bad, and is compelled to reform the town from its dusty, conservative ways: she tries speaking with its members about potential changes; joins women clubs; divulges literature amongst the townfolk; attempts to hold exciting parties to liven up Gopher Prairie's inhabitants; is cordial and friendly — all of which is in vain as her efforts are constantly derided. In order to find comfort and companionship she is forced to look outside her social class, only to have these companions taken from her one by one.

Carol eventually leaves her husband to go live in Washington, D.C. for a time, but she, inevitably, returns. However, Carol does not feel defeated: "I do not admit that Main Street is as beautiful as it should be! I do not admit that dish-washing is enough to satisfy all women!" Carol is discontented with life at Gopher Prairie, but she finds that life in a big city is not so hot either. She learns to settle with Gopher Prairie and accept it for what it is.

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Main Street is important for a number of reasons — among them is the portrayal of a strong female protagonist, and what one might now call feminist themes by a male writer. Also, there is very little plot to the novel: description and satire take prominence over strong characterization and obvious action. (Characters tend to be static; they are archetypes to display that these people in Gopher Prairie could be the same anywhere in the country.) Humor and veritable facsimiles of small town life and personas made Main Street the commercial phenomenon it was, easily relatable to the majority of America. Controversy about the small-town portrayal of vicious back-stabbers and hypocrites was also probably a factor to the novel's popularity; in 1920, it was a heralded thought to live in an area like Gopher Prairie--a notion hilariously denounced with Main Street's powerful inculcation.

[edit] Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science

The novel takes place in the 1910's, with references to the start of World War I, the United States' entry into the war, and the years following the end of the war, including the start of Prohibition.

With the book published in 1920, Lewis could not have written about the roaring 20's or the Great Depression to follow, but his characters give voice to many of the social and cultural attitudes which would become significant in the years to come.

[edit] Literary significance & criticism

Though it was not expected to be extremely popular, in the first six months of 1921, Main Street sold 250,000 copies.

There is some criticism toward the novel concerning the seemingly lack of direction and endless description. ^{[citation needed]}Also, some of Lewis' contemporary writers and critics said the novel was too bleak, even humorless, in its conveyance of ignorant small-town life and people. However, Main Street is generally considered to be Lewis' most significant and endearing work, along with its 1922 successor Babbitt. Despite its bleakness, the general public clearly found a tinge of truth in the novel's message of distilled ambition and conservative mindframes, making Main Street the best-selling novel of the first quarter of the 20th century.

This portrait of the town was not particularly sympathetic, and the book was banned in nearby Alexandria, Minnesota. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Awards and nominations

Main Street was initially awarded the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for literature, but was rejected by the Board of Trustees, who overturned the jury's decision. The prize went, instead, to Edith Wharton for The Age of Innocence. In 1926 Lewis refused the Pulitzer when he was awarded it for Arrowsmith.

[edit] See also

• Main street - the iconic street in small town America.

[edit] External link

• Main Street, available freely at Project Gutenberg