"for Paul, I'd do anything": Friendship, Fraternity, and Desire in Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt

by

Jeff Perkins

Primary advisor: Charles Shively

Secondary advisor: Jean Humez

Abstract:

Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt provides an excellent opportunity to examine the way identity is shaped by the social and political climate of the tiem. Written in 1922, Babbitt is the story of a man whose environment confines the expression of his true desire. A best seller in the 1920s, the book is critiacally understood as an attack on the gourowing confimity in America during this perid.

This traditional reading of Babbitt, although legitimate, seems to ignore a critical subtext that has gone unexplored by critics. I argue that at the core of the construction of Babbitt, there is a critical examination of gender relations and unspoken same-sex desire which is established in opposition to the character's rise as a successful citizen, businessman, and father. In this paper, I explore Babbitt's contradictory trajectories and the way in which he is caught between his ambition and desire. The paper looks at gay history, gender studies, and political history of the 1920s and places Babbitt within this context.

Who would be interested in reading this work?

Students and scholars in queer studies, gay and lesbian history, gender studies, Sinclair Lewis, and the 1920s.