I Hate Your City. It Has Standardized All the Beauty Out Of Life

We live in strange times. We are always encouraged to be individuals, to do what it is that will make us happy regardless of what others may think. At the same time, however, our society has a sneaky way of imposing conformity upon us. Most of us silently judge those who are too different. We generally prefer to socialize with those who think and feel the same way that we do. Don't forget, though, we're individuals.

It was not always this way. Conformity used to be much more obvious. Class divisions were more sharply defined; there were fewer visible symbols of ones wealth and prosperity. Even the most minute diversions from the path of acceptable behavior were seen as the worst of offenses. This is the society in which George Babbitt, the title character in Sinclair Lewis' novel, Babbitt, lives. Since Lewis' novel is, at its core, a satire, the unrelenting desire of the Babbitt family to successfully conform to society's standards is sickeningly desperate. Everything they do is measured in terms of the opinions of others; George routinely talks to himself about how wonderful it is that others will see his success and like him. Everything seems to be going perfectly for them. Slowly however, George becomes more and more tired of his work and family. As he finds even more about which to complain, he begins to resent everyone around him. He has grand visions of his own rebellion and, for a while, breaks the rules of prohibition and has affairs with various women in an attempt to break free of society's oppression. Before long, however, he is shamed back into conformity. This would all be utterly depressing if not for the next generation made up of young adults who still have time to break free and be true individuals if only they will try.

Generally, I am a huge fan of satire. However, I must admit that I don't find much appealing about the American 1920s, especially not when depicted with this extreme sense of conformity and contrivance. I found the incessant use of the slang of the times somewhat annoying, as I'm sure it was meant to be, but even so, it did lessen my enjoyment of the book. I give it a B-.

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"There are two insults no human being will endure: that he has no sense of humor, and that he has never known trouble." (Sinclair Lewis)