"(Harry) Sinclair Lewis." DISCovering Authors, Gale, 2003. eLibrary Minnesota Resources (for Minnesota residents)ġ. Write an action plan with appropriate steps. Have them brainstorm ways in which they could initiate change. Ask students to think about something they would like to change in their school such as a later start time or an addition to the curriculum, etc. How did it feel when they realized they couldn't win others over to their point of view?ĥ. Ask students to write a journal entry about this experience. Ask students to think about a time when they wanted to change something but were met with resistance and road blocks. Did you achieve any new insights about the novel after looking at the images of the people and buildings?Ĥ. Look at the photographs of Sauk Centre, Minnesota (Sinclair Lewis's hometown). Do you think it is easier to live in a small town, medium-size city, a large city or suburb? Why? List some of the advantages and disadvantages of where you live.ģ. Do you think these events would be harder or easier for a small town to deal with?Ģ. The years before and during World War I were marked by the rise in social movements including the labor movement, the fight for women's suffrage, and the breaking down of the 19th century class system. The era depicted in Main Street was one of great change and upheaval in American society.
Today the novel survives as the author's complicated and complex view of a specific time and place.ġ. Some residents of central Minnesota resented their portrayal in the book and the novel was banned by the Public Library in Alexandria, Minnesota. At the time of its publication in 1920, many of Sinclair Lewis's contemporaries found the book to be bleak and depressing. Through the actions of the main characters, Sinclair Lewis explored the ongoing pressures to belong and conform that he found in small-town America. Many of Lewis's characters are the symbolic voice of prevailing social and cultural attitudes found in America at that time. Carol Kennicott attempts to institute progressive changes to the town's infrastructure, the library, and the women's clubs but her attempts are met with derision and scorn. She rebels against the constraints of her life in a small town and her limited role as a housewife. The town is ugly and the people are provincial. Carol finds life in Gopher Prairie confining. They return to Will's hometown of Gopher Prairie, which is a fictionalized version of Lewis' hometown of Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Paul, who marries Will Kennicott, a small-town doctor.
The novel tells the story of Carol Milford, a young progressive woman raised in St. Sinclair Lewis's novel Main Street is a scathing indictment of life in small-town America during the early years of the 20th century. By Greta Bahnemann, Metadata Librarian, Minnesota Digital Library, Minitex
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