Main Street - Tapa blanda

Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930, Sinclair Lewis became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters." Sinclair Lewis’s complete works, including Main Street, are known for their insightful and critical views of American society and capitalist values, as well as their strong characterizations of modern working women. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis is generally considered to be Lewis's most significant and enduring work, along with its 1922 successor Babbitt. Some small-town residents resented their portrayal and Main Street was banned by the public library of Alexandria, Minnesota. Because of the popularity acquired by Sinclair Lewis and Main Street, high-school teams from his hometown of Sauk Centre, Minnesota, began to be called the Main Streeters as early as the 1925–26 school year. This name was essentially given to the town by the nearby towns at school events. The Sauk Centre High School still goes by the name in a tribute to Sinclair Lewis. Sinclair Lewis chose Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, a fictionalized version of Sauk Centre, Minnesota, Lewis's hometown as the setting for Main Street. Main Street takes place in the 1910s, with references to the start of World War I, the United States' entry into the war, and the years following the end of the war, including the start of Prohibition. Because Main Street was published in 1920, Sinclair Lewis could not have written about the Roaring Twenties or the Great Depression to follow, but his characters give voice to many of the social and cultural attitudes which would become significant in the years to come. Main Street is important for a number of reasons - among them is the portrayal of a strong female protagonist, and what one might now call feminist themes by a male writer, Harry Sinclair Lewis.

PLOT SUMMARY Carol Milford is a liberal, free-spirited young woman, reared in the metropolis of St. Paul. She marries Will Kennicott, a doctor, who is a small-town boy at heart. When they marry, Will convinces her to live in his home-town of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota (a town modeled on Sauk Centre, Minnesota, the author's birthplace). Carol is appalled at the backwardness of Gopher Prairie. But her disdain for the town's physical ugliness and smug conservatism compels her to reform it. She speaks with its members about progressive changes, joins women's clubs, distributes literature, and holds parties to liven up Gopher Prairie's inhabitants. Despite her friendly, but ineffective efforts, she is constantly derided by the leading cliques. She finds comfort and companionship outside her social class. These companions are taken from her one by one. In her unhappiness, Carol leaves her husband and moves for a time to Washington, D.C., but she eventually returns. Nevertheless, Carol does not feel defeated: "I do not admit that Main Street is as beautiful as it should be! I do not admit that dish-washing is enough to satisfy all women!" Carol is discontented with life in Gopher Prairie, but she finds that big city life also has disadvantages. In the end, she learns to settle with Gopher Prairie and accept it for what it is. MAJOR THEMES Main Street is important for a number of reasons - among them is the portrayal of a strong female protagonist, and what one might now call feminist themes by a male writer. --wikipedia