I found Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt to be an interesting portrait of an upper middle class man and his successes, failures, and struggles. I think the most interesting part of this novel was the manner in which Lewis created Babbitt's relationships. His relationships were what fueled the action in the story. From his interactions with his wife and children, to his employees, to the boys at his various clubs, and finally to those people he interacted with to sooth his middle-aged desires, it was through these relationships that the reader was able to travel with Babbitt and discover his insecurities and strengths.
Another aspect of the novel that I enjoyed was Lewis' satirical portrayal of the middle class. The keeping up with the Jones' portrayal of the characters in the story was quite interesting and offers a nice reflection of the society of the time. I find that not much has changed between Babbitt's generation and the generation of today. We still have those individuals who think social standing is far more important than true relationships, and there are also those who enjoy watching the follies of the social climbers.
Babbitt's journey is a typical one, I believe. He grows tired of his day to day existence and wanders off the reservation so to speak. His desire to escape finds him experimenting in areas of society where he really doesn't belong and while he knows this to be the case, he still pursues this destructive path. It is only when tragedy nearly befalls his family that he is able to regain himself and reconnect with what is really important in his life, his family.
I found the conclusion of this novel to be one of hope in that Lewis portrayed Babbitt's reversal in what I think was the most sympathetic manner of the whole book. The passing of the torch from Babbitt to his son was kind and heartfelt and one of the more believable aspect of the story.
