Lewis’s “babbitt” in brief
The novel takes place in a fairly large American city under the loud name Zenith. The protagonist of the novel, George Babbitt, a forty-five-year-old owner of the agency that sells and leases real estate, lives on the outskirts of the city, in the prestigious, rapidly developing area of Blooming Hills. He has a family consisting of his wife and three children. Babbitt is satisfied with his life, his position, both social and material, but more often at night he dreams of a young sorceress, for whom he runs and, bending over to her knees, finds peace and understanding. He married twenty-three years ago without much love for the daughter of his current companion. studied at the university, dreamed of becoming a lawyer, since his student years has a friend, Paul Riesling, to which he is a little paternal and feels great affection, than ever he felt for a woman. Paul is married to Zill, an eternally dissatisfied life, a grouchy and rude woman. Once Paul dreamed of becoming a famous
For his son, Body Babbitt dreams of university education and a career as a lawyer, but Ted himself, who ends up in school, wants to devote his life to technology.
The main events of the spring for Babbitt are the secret purchase of land for fraud, undertaken by some businessmen from the Transport Company, as well as lunch for twelve people, conceived by Babbitt as a “highly cultural meeting,” at which the best minds of the city and the most elegant ladies will shine. Reception is very fun thanks to the efforts of the owner of the house. Guests even arrange a spiritualistic session and evoke the spirit of Dante.
In order to rest from their families, George Babbitt and Paul Riesling go to Maine for fishing a little earlier than the rest of the household. The air of freedom seems to purify their blood from some kind of poisonous excitement, irritation and makes it healthy and fresh.
When Babbitt returns to Zenit,
Lunch of graduates is arranged in the hall of the club “Union”, the most fashionable of all zenith clubs. McKelvey shows interest in Babbitt and even expresses an indefinite desire to meet somehow. Babbitt feels that life will never be as beautiful as it is now, when he, together with Paul Riesling and the newly-found hero McKelvey, is bawling at the old student song. Babbitts invite the McKelvey couple to dinner, to which after a few shifts of the date in the end is. In addition to them at the dinner there are several more couples. The reception is extremely boring, as Babbitt does his best not to go beyond the limits of established decency in his high society. After this lunch, Babbitty has been following the secular chronicle for a whole month and are waiting for a reciprocal invitation, wait for which they are not destined. But the name of McKelvey all week does not come off the front pages of the newspaper for a different reason: they have an English lord, Sir Gerald Douk, after whom McKelvey even arranges a grand ball.
In such an unhappy time, Babbitt, as luck would have it, has to think about Overbrooks. Ed Overbrook, Babbitt’s companion at the university, was a failure. He is extremely proud of his acquaintance with Babbitt and invites him and his wife to visit him. Lunch at them makes Babbitt an equally depressing impression, which, apparently, made a dinner with the Babbits on McKelvey. After lunch about the Overbrooks, Babbitt’s family is no longer remembered, nor is it remembered that they were going to invite them to their homes.
When Babbitt finally becomes convinced that McKelvey does not accept him in his circle, he feels himself in a ridiculous position and, in order to feel himself again as an outstanding citizen of Zenith, takes an active part in the meetings of several clubs, of which he is a member. However, Babbitt gets the greatest fame due to his activity at the Sunday school, which he helps to get second place in attendance throughout the state.
One day, Babbitt is on business to Chicago, where he finds a lonely, cruelly bored Sir Gerald Dawck, the recent guest of McKelvey, who, it turns out, was incredibly suffering from the need to conduct a stormy social life in America, to which he was forced by the local pillars of society, and now happy to spend an evening with Babbitt, first in the movie, then in his room for a bottle of whiskey and talk “heart to heart.” Babbitt is unbearably sorry that he did not get acquainted with the noble Englishman back in Zenith. The day after the evening spent with Gerald Dawk, Babbitt accidentally meets Paul Riesling, who dines in the company of a woman unfamiliar to Babbitt, which surprises and upsets him. Returning home, Babbitt is present at the second breakfast in March of the club “Pushers”, where the president is elected every year. Babbitt is elected vice-president, which he immediately wants to inform Paul, but, to his amazement, learns that Paul is in prison, because in the afternoon he shot at Zillah, his wife. Zilla after the injury safely recovered, and Paul sentenced to three years in prison, which undermines Babbitt no less than his friend.
One day a certain lady of about forty is coming to Babbitt’s office, who wants to rent a small apartment. Babbitt has exactly what she needs, and he takes the opportunity to get to know her better. He is unsettled by misfortune with Paul, he does not count on understanding his wife, managed to fail in an attempt to patronize a young girl and comes to the conclusion that his new acquaintance, a widow named Tanis Djudik, with a soft voice and affectionate gaze – is that he needs to at least some comfort and again feel the taste for life. Taking advantage of his wife’s absence, Babbitt starts a stormy romance with Tanis. At this time, mass strikes began in the city, splitting Zenith into two hostile camps – white and red. Babbitt shows indulgence towards the workers, which causes discontent of all business layers of the city, who decide to support the initiative coming from the eastern states, and create in the Zenith League of honest citizens as a bulwark against all sorts of troublemakers. They suggest in very urgent form and Babbitt enter the League. Babbitt does not like that he is forced to do something, and he refuses to join her ranks.
The wife of Babbitt, who was staying with relatives, returns home for several months. Meanwhile, Tanis claims more and more rights to him. Babbitt decides to win more freedom for himself and breaks sharply with Tanis. Babbitt’s refusal to join the League in the most disastrous way affects the attitude of his teammates to him, as well as on the affairs of the firm. The most profitable orders now go to its competitors. But most of all, he is hurt by the fact that his stenographer, Miss McGaun, suddenly leaves him, as if escaping from a sinking ship. Babbitt’s testimony and at the same time his companion, Mr. Thompson, convinces the son-in-law to take emergency measures, with which Babbitt is heatedly and agrees. He decides, nevertheless, to join the League of Honest Citizens as soon as he is offered again. However, it seems that in high circles it does not seem to be remembered anymore. He begins to think that everyone is making a fuss about him, his nerves are becoming more and more unstable. He already regrets that he lost Tanis, he needs a man with whom he could speak openly, his wife seems alien to him. One night, an attack occurs with Myra. Babbitt calls a doctor who reports the need for surgery. Babbitt embraces fear that he can lose his wife and remain alone. In the morning, after a sleepless night, Mayra seems to him not just a woman who can be compared to any other, but his own “I”, to break with which he can not. During the operation, he only dreams of seeing her again and saying that he always loved only her; mentally, he swears in loyalty to Maira… in loyalty to Zenith, the club “Pushers” … loyalty to everything that the Clan of Decent People believes. He needs a man with whom he could talk openly, his wife seems alien to him. One night, an attack occurs with Myra. Babbitt calls a doctor who reports the need for surgery. Babbitt embraces fear that he can lose his wife and remain alone. In the morning, after a sleepless night, Mayra seems to him not just a woman who can be compared to any other, but his own “I”, to break with which he can not. During the operation, he only dreams of seeing her again and saying that he always loved only her; mentally, he swears in loyalty to Maira… in loyalty to Zenith, the club “Pushers” … loyalty to everything that the Clan of Decent People believes. He needs a man with whom he could talk openly, his wife seems alien to him. One night, an attack occurs with Myra. Babbitt calls a doctor who reports the need for surgery. Babbitt embraces fear that he can lose his wife and remain alone. In the morning, after a sleepless night, Mayra seems to him not just a woman who can be compared to any other, but his own “I”, to break with which he can not. During the operation, he only dreams of seeing her again and saying that he always loved only her; mentally, he swears allegiance to Maira… in loyalty to Zenith, the club “Pushers” … loyalty to everything the Clan of Decent People believes. Babbitt calls a doctor who reports the need for surgery. Babbitt embraces fear that he can lose his wife and remain alone. In the morning, after a sleepless night, Mayra seems to him not just a woman who can be compared to any other, but his own “I”, to break with which he can not. During the operation, he only dreams of seeing her again and saying that he always loved only her; mentally, he swears in loyalty to Maira… in loyalty to Zenith, the club “Pushers” … loyalty to everything that the Clan of Decent People believes. Babbitt calls a doctor who reports the need for surgery. Babbitt embraces fear that he can lose his wife and remain alone. In the morning, after a sleepless night, Mayra seems to him not just a woman who can be compared to any other, but his own “I”, to break with which he can not. During the operation, he only dreams of seeing her again and saying that he always loved only her; mentally, he swears allegiance to Maira… in loyalty to Zenith, the club “Pushers” … loyalty to everything that the Clan of Decent People believes. break with which he can not. During the operation, he only dreams of seeing her again and saying that he always loved only her; mentally, he swears allegiance to Maira… in loyalty to Zenith, the club “Pushers” … loyalty to everything that the Clan of Decent People believes. break with which he can not. During the operation, he only dreams of seeing her again and saying that he always loved only her; mentally, he swears allegiance to Maira… in loyalty to Zenith, the club “Pushers” … loyalty to everything the Clan of Decent People believes.
The operation is successful; after it no one is whispering about Babbitt, but, on the contrary, everyone is carefully inquiring about Mrs. Babbitt’s health. He again, but without pressure, but in a friendly manner asked to join the League, to which Babbitt, without dignity, agrees and forever ceases to be a room revolutionary. He is again greeted with open arms in his clubs, and financial matters are once again going up the hill. He presents his future not very clearly, but he feels that he got into the same networks, from which he burst out with such fury, and, ironically, he was made to rejoice that he was caught again. However, he now treats his son with great understanding and allows him to choose his own way of life.
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