陈菲菲
重庆工业职业技术学院
It is not so easy to introduce Sinclair Lewis and his works as to his contemporaries who acquire a more enviable reputation in American literature world, such as Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, and Faulkner etc. After all, among these masters of the literature prosperity period, he is not outstanding. Although he is the first American author to win the Nobel Prize in American literature, he has been called the worst important writer in American literature by American writer, critic, and scholar Mark Schorer. However, why we read him and study him? I quite agree with Henry Mencken’s comment on him, he pointed, no one has given the detail description of that familiar and unforgettable life scene as meticulously as Sinclair Lewis in his Babbitt. Also this is my first and general impression on this book. So today I am intended to give a general introduction on this book. Why I call it general, it is because that frankly speaking, I only go through this book once. I think I may miss many important points of it. For me, I think any deep insight should be based on the intensive reading. That is, read and think it over and over again. Before I give this presentation, I was trying my effort to find out one point of view by which I can do the task better. Now that Babbitt is in the form of novel, I would like to give you my ideas one by one from the point of view of elements of novel. Do you know the main elements of a novel? Yes, they are character, plot and environment.
Now I want to start with the environment where the story took place
1.Environment
Natural environment
The story takes place in a typical industrial city in mid-American of post WWI. As we all know, US was the biggest winner. Undoubtedly, Zenith, the city profited from the war and rose itself. The author pictures the city at the beginning of the book: austere towers of steel and cement, office buildings, business center, limousine, railroad, crimson lights, and skyscrapers are all the symbols of modern society. In the Floral Heights, there are “Cheerful Modern Houses for Medium Incomes” Then the author writes: Every second house in Floral Heights had a bedroom precisely like this.”(See p 15) From the eyes of Babbitt who works as a businessman on the real estate (realtor), we can imagine that those middle-class people like Babbitt all live in those different “Floral Heights”. Please look at Chapter VII, the first part. It is the description of one room of Babbitt’s house; however, it seems that the rooms of all America are the same. Indeed, Sinclair Lewis gives us the impression by the use of exaggeration. We can’t help admiring his meticulous observation. (Glen Oriole acreage 黄鹂谷开发区)
Work place Office building：“The Reeves building was as fireproof as a rock and as efficient as a typewriter.” How efficient similes! The offices of different walks were all filled there. From the author’s description, we can have a glance at the progress of the society and the modernization. Therefore, our main characters of this book live there life in such a city.
After the introduction of the natural environment, let’s look at the social environment. in this book, I notice four points with the characteristics of that time: 1.The rising of real estate business. I suppose that the real estate business may represent America of post WWI best. The nation became rich, and her people got rich also, and they had more money and energy to improve their life. That is, materialism era was coming. This may make me think of the situation of China today. Ten or twenty years ago, you wouldn’t see how the real estate industry is boom! The one reason is that the economy is indeed developing. 2. “The innumerous ‘lodges’ and prosperity –boosting lunch clubs” (See chapter 16, P203). The author wrote: “Of a decent man in Zenith it was required that he should belong to one, preferably two or three, of the innumerous ‘lodges’ and prosperity-boosting lunch clubs.” Babbitt was such a joiner of those clubs. 3. Innumerous all kinds of social communication dinner parties. In my opinion, these parties were held for mainly two reasons: one is to show off themselves and pose themselves .In chapter 8, the author described that a dinner was the great event of spring. We may quote one of Babbitt’s words: “a dinner was not only a regular society spread but a real sure-enough highbrow affairs”. The other one is to rise to the higher social plane. As we all know, in the post WWI, some people rose by the booming post-war economy. They became rich in pocket, while they were still not accepted by those social big shots. In this book, Babbitt worried that they were not asked to those kinds of dinners which symbolized the social position. （see Chapter 15，P152， “His March to greatness was not without disastrous stumbling.”）This can also be seen from that Babbitt did his utmost to invite the McKelveys , the millionaire contractor to dinner. 4. The opposition of the laborer class union and capitalist union like ……In chapter 27, page 311, “The strike which turned Zenith into two belligerent camps, white and red”, and the following was a series of strikes and anti-strikes action. This reflects the serious contradiction of the society. As we all know, in 1929, USA went into the great depression.
Well，so far, my introduction of the environment of the novel stops here, if you have any complementary or disagreement, we will discuss it later. Now let’s turn our attention to those varies characters. I can’t remember who once said such words, and the general meaning is that novel is the best art form to reflect the psychological reality of human. Here I will deploy my introduction of those main characters and supporting characters evolving round the psychological reality.
First of all, let’s turn to Mr. Babbitt. In Chapter1, first part, a stout middle-aged man appears front us. According to this book, I divide Babbitt’s life to four phases that combine with each other very closely. 1. Self-complacency. “Babbitt was proud of being awakened by such a rich device.” (Alarm clock) “To George F. Babbitt, as to most prosperous citizens of Zenith, his motor car was poetry and tragedy, love and heroism.”(P24, CIII1)……P28 “the time was come for the building, the visible growth, which to him was glory.” “He admired each district along his familiar route to the office….”(P 31, CIII2) He , Babbitt is such a typical business man from middle-class. From him, we can peek into the faults of that category of people. They admire all the material things and take the objects as entire of their life. The alarm clock, the motor car, the building, and even the lighter, the toothpastes, socks, tires, cameras etc. make them quite complacent. 2. Rebellion and Repetition. In chapter 4, part 2, Paul Riesling, the best male-friend of Babbitt enters on the stage. To Paul, Babbitt has a special affection. “He was fonder of Paul Riesling than of any one on earth except himself and his daughter Tinka.” “Babbitt, though ordinarily his voice was the surest and most Episcopal of all, was silent. In the presence of the slight dark reticence of Paul Riesling, he was awkward, he desired to be quite and firm and deft.” Here, we can see that Babbitt is not what he behaves in front of other club members. At that time, he would rather stay with Paul alone in risk of breaking the club rule. Only with Paul，Babbitt speak out his unsatisfactory: “P60”. This indeed is the problem of Babbitt. In my opinion, Paul is Babbitt’s spiritual supporter, and he finding the balance between complacency and unsatisfactory. Finally, “They were on the New York express, incredibly bound for Maine, without family. They are free.”(P138) However, It turned out that Babbitt and Paul are different man. Babbitt became “crankier and nervouser” than when he came up there, while Paul got rid off his trouble temporarily. What does this indicate? Do you notice the dialogue between the lawyer Seneca Doane and Dr. Kurt Yavitch on American standardization? I think over this part, but I can’t get result. It seems that until now, our Mr. Babbitt hasn’t given a clear attitude toward the standardization. I hope we may have a discussion on this later. 3. Escape and indulgence. Paul, shot his wife , was sentence to the jail. For Babbitt, he lost Paul, and lost his balance between the reality and dream. Especially after his wife is out, he got caught up in deep perplexity. See P 273(C 23) He can’t oppress his anguish any more, “He came out with a vicious determination to do what he pleased. He was no longer patient and complacent on the other club member’s jokes. We all know what happened later, however, I should say the author did not criticize him on his indulgence and unfaith, even that I feel a little pity note of on Babbitt. I have a pity on Babbitt. People living in this world always would like to get rid of their unsatisfactory on reality by indulging themselves. What a pity! 4. Return and Compromise. Italian critic Cesare Pavese once commented that the distinctive quality of Babbitt is that he doesn’t to be Babbitt at all. I should say Babbitt is Babbitt, and he cannot be another man. After a period of staying from his society and family, he found that it was so difficult to make living in his own world. He compromised. “…he crouched again on the high stool in the laboratory he swore faith to his wife…to Zenith…to business efficiency…to the booster’s club…to every faith of the Clan of Good Fellows.”(P388)…(see P 395) “he knew by the cheer that he was secure again and popular….” I think this is the only thing that Babbitt really wants: security and popularity.
In the last part of this book, we see the hope over there. Perhaps that is the author’s good wishes to his nation, America.
Now I intend to end my introduction here. I hope that we can read and study this book deeply for there are many valuable points on the meaning of life ,for us to dig them out. Well, next, I will please Sasha.
作者简介：陈菲菲（1984—），女，汉族，籍贯：江苏，学历：研究生，职务：辅导员，职称：初级职称，单位：重庆工业职业技术学院，研究方向：高等教育。