Youth as an Aspect of George Babbitt's Character

A detailed Summary of Youth as an Aspect of George Babbitt's Character

Youth As An Aspect of George Babbitt's Character

The aspect of youth and being young is a prevalent aspect found in George Babbitt, the main character of Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt. On the outside, Babbitt comes across as a very conformist and self-serving individual. However, upon further examination, Babbitt becomes less and less a prevalent societal figure, and more so an individual who is haunted by indecision and insecurity. Like a young child, he frequently enters into an imaginative world where he pretends that he is someone else. He also laments over his shortcomings and failure by desiring to return to his youth. He views youth as an escape from the pressures and hindrances of his job and family. George Babbitt is also unable to communicate with the young people of his day and age, specifically with his own children. In short, youth is an important aspect which shapes Babbitt's character.

During many instances in the novel, Babbitt enters into a state of imaginative fantasy where he takes on the persona of another person whom he admires or wishes to emulate. He often times takes on another persona in order to make himself believe that he can accomplish what that person did, even though he knows he truly cannot.

In conclusion, youth and the aspects thereof are an intricate part of understanding the character of George Babbitt. His desire to recapture being young exemplifies his disappointment of his family, job, and life in general. The pleasure he receives by imagining that he is someone else illustrates that he would, in fact, rather be someone other than himself. He is however, incapable with communicating or understanding the young people of his own time, as demonstrated by his inability to listen and respond to his own children. To put it bluntly, George Babbitt is scared of aging and as a result, wants to be young again. These aspects of youth and youthful desire help provide a better, more distinct view into the character of George Babbitt. The strict conformity which he hides behind becomes a mask, and he becomes a pathetic and sorrowful character.

George Babbitt experiences alienation with the youth of the 1920's, especially with his children, Verona and Ted. This is evident in his disgust at how the young people at Ted's party behaved and treated Babbitt. "These children seemed bold to him, and cold," (218) is an example of the indifference the children showed Babbitt. He wanted his children to have no part in such frivolity, but rather for them to try and emulate him, as he wants Ted to go to the State U

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Approximate Word count = 893
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English