Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis (1922)

Today we dissect Sinclair Lewis's seminal 1922 novel, Babbitt, the scathing satire that coined a term for materialistic, conformist middle-class life: "Babbittry." The story follows George F. Babbitt, a prosperous, 46-year-old real estate broker in the fictional Midwestern city of Zenith, a man whose life is a perfectly curated collection of modern appliances, civic boosting, and rigid social opinion. . We explore the massive internal tension that drives the novel: despite his outward success, Babbitt is seized by a deep, gnawing dissatisfaction, leading him to a brief, clumsy, and ultimately futile rebellion involving liberal politics and a forbidden affair. This book is a devastating critique of the American Dream, exposing how the relentless pressure to conformity and the hollow worship of business can crush the individual spirit, even as Lewis evokes a profound sympathy for the fundamentally decent man trapped in a life he secretly detests.