# Chapter XII explained — Babbitt

> Chapter companion for Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis.

## What happens

Babbitt returns from Maine determined to reform his life, vowing serenity, new interests, and to quit smoking, but his resolve quickly crumbles. He attempts to adopt baseball as a hobby but soon reverts to his habitual hustle. The chapter depicts his weekend golf at the Outing Country Club, family movie outings, and the relentless pace of business life in Zenith, underscoring his struggle between aspiration and conformity.

## Themes in this chapter

### Conformity and Materialism

Babbitt's attempts at reform are undermined by his ingrained need to conform to the hustle and social rituals of his class, such as country club membership and movie-going.

### Midlife Crisis and Disillusionment

Babbitt's fleeting resolutions to change his life and his failure to sustain them highlight his underlying dissatisfaction and the hollow pursuit of activity for its own sake.

## Character check-ins

### George F. Babbitt

Returns from Maine with resolutions to change, but quickly falls back into old habits; attends baseball games, golf, and movies.

### Myra Babbitt

Accompanies Babbitt to the movies; prefers films about wealthy New Yorkers.

### Tinka Babbitt

Goes to the movies with her parents.

### Theodore Roosevelt Babbitt

Plays gentle back-lot catch with Babbitt.

### Paul Riesling

Mentioned as a companion for long talks at the Athletic Club.

## Key lines

> He invented a new and perfect method. He would buy no tobacco; he would depend on borrowing it; and, of course, he would be ashamed to borrow often.

He devised a clever plan to quit smoking: stop buying cigarettes and rely on borrowing them, assuming embarrassment would prevent him from asking too often.

_Illustrates Babbitt's self-deceptive approach to self-improvement._

> In Zenith it was as necessary for a Successful Man to belong to a country club as it was to wear a linen collar.

In Zenith, joining a country club was an essential status symbol for any successful man, just as necessary as wearing a proper collar.

_Highlights the social pressures and conformity of Babbitt's world._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/babbitt_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/babbitt_se/chapters