Main Street

Carol Milford has been out of college for a year when she marries Dr. Will Kennicott. They move to his home of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, a small MidWest town of conservative people who exist in a culturally barren community. Carol dreams of converting their traditional self-satisfied conformity into a more artistic appreciation of character and willingness to attempt brand new achievements. However, Carol becomes frustrated when she sees their condescending sympathy for her different ideas. The townspeople require her submission to their social standards in exchange for their approval, respect, and love. She regards their ignorance as self-righteous, and they see her intellectualism as insignificant. She develops into a symbol of the compromises and justifications people are often forced to make so they can handle the realities of life that are determined to avoid change. Her efforts at reform measures are met with defeat, such as a community theater enterprise. Sinclair Lewis's scrupulous rendering of local customs and social courtesies allow the reader to see the double-edged satire he directs at the complacent small-town citizens and the superficial intellectuals who snub them. Please Note: This book has been reformatted to be easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher. The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter headings for easy navigation. The Adobe eBook has bookmarks at chapter headings and is printable up to two full copies per year. Both versions are text searchable.