First published 1922
George Babbitt sits in his Zenith office at forty-six, a successful real estate man who has built his life around the right car, the right house, and the right opinions. He enforces what he calls militant normalcy in his business dealings and social circles. Yet beneath his prosperous exterior, Babbitt feels trapped by his own rigid conformity. He wants something beyond material possessions before time runs out. The tension builds as Babbitt's inner restlessness conflicts with the social expectations he has spent decades upholding. Lewis captures the spiritual emptiness that wealth and status cannot fill, showing how Babbitt becomes the primary victim of his own relentless pursuit of conventional success. This portrait of 1920s American materialism reveals the cost of choosing security over authentic living.
Genres: fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, american
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study, social-commentary
Setting: Zenith
Period: 1920s
164 pages · Hardcover · Chump Change