"Main Street" Summarized and Analyzed

By Teacher Forum

The author very skillfully uses the local speech, and presents the local customs. He criticizes the small town locale. The satire in the novel is double-edged: it is aimed at the simple townspeople and at the same time it satires the superficial intellectuals who look down on them.

The detailed descriptions provided by the author are highly emphatic and revealing. When the novel was first published, it drew the public attention, but the critics had their differing opinions.

"Main Street" Summarized and Analyzed
Copyright
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Plot Overview
Chapter Three: Major Characters
Chapter Four: Complete Summary
Chapter Five: Critical Analysis

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raja Sharma
• Release date: Dec 4, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311675675

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Main Street Summarized and Analyzed

Copyright

Main Street Summarized and Analyzed

Teacher Forum

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Chapter One: Introduction

Main Street by Sinclair Lewis was first published in 1920. It is a satirical novel.

The story is presented from the perspective of Carol Kennicott. She happens to be a young woman from Minneapolis. Having married a doctor from a small town she settles with him in the doctor’s hometown.

Carol happens to be concerned about social reforms. She is equally concerned about her personal happiness. Through her character the author presents the society in general in that era.

During that period, women gained power after several labor moments. They eventually got the right to vote in 1920.

The author very skillfully uses the local speech and presents the local customs. He criticizes the small town locale. The satire in the novel is double-edged: it is aimed at the simple townspeople and at the same time it satires the superficial intellectuals who look down on them.

The detailed descriptions provided by the author are highly emphatic and revealing. When the novel was first published, it drew the public attention, but the critics had their differing opinions.

Chapter Two: Plot Overview

Carol studies at Blodgett College in Minneapolis. She has a dream of settling down in a small village. She wants to transform that village into a beautiful place.

Having graduated from the college, she begins to work as a librarian at St. Paul. She works there for three years. During her work as a librarian, she comes across Dr. Will Kennicott. They meet at a friend’s house. She is attracted to the doctor. The doctor begins courting Carol.

After about one year of their courtship, they get married and move to Gopher Prairie, Dr. Kennicott’s hometown. She happens to have great expectations, but when she reaches there she is not much impressed by Gopher Prairie. She finds that the town is very ugly and the town-dwellers are provincial.

She notices that the townspeople gossip all the time. They do not show any interest in cultural and social issues.

Mrs. Bogart happens to be their neighbor. She is a religious hypocrite. She is also a gossip.

Bea Sorenson also arrives in Gopher Prairie on the same day as Carol. She finds town quite magnificent. It is a much larger town than any other town she has ever seen. She decides to stay there. She starts working as Carol’s maid.

Carol first begins by refurbishing her old house. She brings modern furniture and decorates the house. She makes grand preparations for a party. She wants to give a party the townspeople have never seen before. However, she finds out that the people of the town do not like change in anything.

Carol is further discouraged when she comes to know that the people living in that town constantly watch her every move. She comes to know that they criticize her because she is different from them. They criticize her dresses and her manners.

Since she is different from the town-dwellers, she finds few friends there. Vida Sherwin, the high school teacher, and Guy Pollock, a lawyer, are her friends. She also becomes friends with her maid, Bea. She is also friendly with the town’s handyman, Miles Bjornstam.

The people of the town treat Miles Bjornstam as an outcast because he supports socialism and the Democratic Party. Carol finds him different from the people of the town so she is drawn to him.

Carol wants to have a new city hall, school, a library, and a more comfortable rest room for the wives of the farmers built and for this she tries to get the help of the people, but they do not seem to be interested in all that. They