Main Street
Summary
Main Street, Sinclair Lewis's 1920 satirical novel, shattered the romanticized myth of small-town American life. This critically acclaimed work, which contributed to Lewis's 1930 Nobel Prize in Literature, offers a scathing portrayal of narrow-mindedness and conformity in the fictional yet typical Midwestern town of Gopher Prairie.
Plot
Main Street follows the story of Carol Milford, an idealistic and ambitious young woman from Mankato, Minnesota. After completing her education and working briefly as a librarian in Saint Paul, Carol marries Will Kennicott, a small-town doctor. The couple moves to Will's hometown of Gopher Prairie, a fictional rural community based on Lewis's own hometown of Sauk Centre.
Upon arriving in Gopher Prairie, Carol is immediately struck by the town's lack of culture and aesthetic charm. Determined to bring about change, she launches various initiatives to improve the town's appearance and cultural offerings. Her efforts, however, are met with resistance and ridicule from the conservative locals. Carol finds herself increasingly at odds with the narrow-mindedness and provincialism of small-town life.
Frustrated by her inability to bring about meaningful change and feeling stifled by the town's conformity, Carol eventually leaves Will and moves to Washington, DC, to work as a government clerk during World War I. After some time away, she returns to her husband. Though she failed to achieve her lofty goals of transforming Gopher Prairie, Carol maintains her ideals and refuses to surrender to the small-town mentality surrounding her.
Themes
• Small-town provincialism versus urban progressivism
• Conformity and resistance to change
• Disillusionment with the American Dream
• Gender roles and women's aspirations
• Critique of social hypocrisy and narrow-mindedness
• Struggle between individual idealism and societal expectations
• Satire of rural American life and values
Setting
Main Street is set in the 1910s, during a period of rapid change in American society. The novel captures the tensions between rural traditionalism and urban progressivism as the country transitions from the Victorian era to the modern age. World War I and Prohibition loom in the background, further highlighting the shifting cultural landscape.
The story unfolds primarily in the fictional town of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, a stand-in for author Sinclair Lewis's hometown of Sauk Centre. This small Midwestern community serves as a microcosm of rural America, with its conservative values, narrow-mindedness, and resistance to change. Lewis paints a vivid picture of Main Street, the central artery of Gopher Prairie, as a symbol of small-town life across the nation.
While much of the action takes place in Gopher Prairie, the novel also provides glimpses of urban environments. Carol Milford's experiences in Mankato, Saint Paul, and Chicago offer a stark contrast to life in Gopher Prairie. Her brief sojourn in Washington, DC, during the war years further emphasizes the cultural divide between rural and urban America, ultimately reinforcing the novel's critique of small-town provincialism.
Characters
• Carol Milford Kennicott: The protagonist, an idealistic and ambitious young woman who attempts to bring culture and reform to Gopher Prairie.
• Dr. Will Kennicott: Carol's husband, a pragmatic small-town doctor who is content with life in Gopher Prairie.
• Vida Sherwin: A teacher in Gopher Prairie, who initially befriends Carol but later becomes her rival.
• Miles Bjornstam: The town handyman, known as “The Red Swede,” who shares Carol's progressive views.
• Bea Sorenson: Carol's maid, a young immigrant girl who marries Miles Bjornstam.
• Guy Pollock: A melancholic lawyer who briefly becomes Carol's confidant.
• Erik Valborg: A young tailor with artistic aspirations who develops a romantic interest in Carol.
• Cy Bogart: A local teenage troublemaker who represents the narrow-mindedness of the younger generation.
• Mrs. Bogart: Cy's mother, a pious and judgmental widow who frequently gossips about Carol.
• Fern Mullins: A young teacher who becomes embroiled in scandal and is defended by Carol.
Quick facts
• Main Street was the bestselling novel in the United States in 1921.
• Lewis based the fictional town of Gopher Prairie on his hometown of Sauk Centre, Minnesota.
• Main Street was banned by the public library in Alexandria, Minnesota, due to its unflattering portrayal of small-town life.
• Main Street was initially selected for the 1921 Pulitzer Prize but was overruled by the board of trustees.
• The novel contributed to Lewis’s being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1930, making him the first American to receive this honor.
• The novel's success led to a stage adaptation in 1921 and a silent film version in 1923, marking Warner Bros. studio's first-ever movie production.
• The novel inspired several parodies, including Ptomaine Street by Carolyn Wells.
• Lewis's hometown high school sports teams adopted the nickname “Main Streeters” in tribute to the novel's success.
• The novel's popularity led to “Main Street” becoming a common term for small-town America.
• In 1998, Main Street was ranked #68 on the Modern Library's list of 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
About the author
Sinclair Lewis
Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) was one of the most prominent and influential American novelists of the early 20th century. Born and raised in the small town of Sauk Centre, Minnesota, he graduated from Yale University in 1908 and worked various jobs while honing his craft as a writer. His breakthrough came in 1920 with the publication of Main Street, which became a massive commercial success and established Lewis as a keen satirist of small-town American life.
Throughout the 1920s, Lewis produced a string of acclaimed novels, including Babbitt, Arrowsmith, Elmer Gantry, and Dodsworth. These works sharply critiqued aspects of American society such as conformity, materialism, and religious hypocrisy. Lewis's vigorous prose style and skill at creating memorable characters earned him widespread praise. In 1930, he became the first American to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Lewis continued to write prolifically. His 1935 novel It Can't Happen Here, which imagined a fascist takeover of the United States, has seen renewed interest in recent years for its perceived political relevance. Plagued by alcoholism in his later years, Lewis died in Rome at the age of 65, leaving an indelible mark on American literature.