# II explained — Babbitt

> Chapter companion for Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis.

## What happens

George F. Babbitt begins to awaken on the sleeping-porch of his Dutch Colonial house in Floral Heights, Zenith. He is a prosperous, married, unromantic real estate salesman, yet he dreams of a fairy child who sees him as gallant and young. The sounds of the milk-truck, furnace, dog, paper-carrier, and a Ford being cranked pull him from his dream, and he escapes back to sleep until his alarm rings at seven-twenty.

## Themes in this chapter

### Conformity and Materialism

Babbitt's comfortable, standardized life in Floral Heights—with his Dutch Colonial house, grass-plots, cement driveway, and corrugated iron garage—illustrates the materialistic conformity of the American middle class.

### Midlife Crisis and Disillusionment

At forty-six, Babbitt's dream of a fairy child contrasts with his mundane reality, hinting at a longing for lost youth and a sense of disillusionment with his prosperous but unromantic existence.

## Character check-ins

### George F. Babbitt

Awakening on his sleeping-porch; dreaming of a fairy child; a prosperous real estate salesman, forty-six years old.

## Key lines

> His name was George F. Babbitt. He was forty-six years old now, in April, 1920, and he made nothing in particular, neither butter nor shoes nor poetry, but he was nimble in the calling of selling houses for more than people could afford to pay.

George F. Babbitt, aged forty-six in April 1920, did not produce tangible goods or art but was skilled at selling houses at inflated prices.

_Introduces Babbitt's occupation and ironic lack of tangible productivity._

> Yet Babbitt was again dreaming of the fairy child, a dream more romantic than scarlet pagodas by a silver sea.

Babbitt's recurring dream of a fairy child was more romantic than exotic fantasies.

_Highlights the contrast between Babbitt's mundane life and his inner romantic yearnings._

> He escaped from reality till the alarm-clock rang, at seven-twenty.

He avoided facing the real world until his alarm woke him at 7:20.

_Emphasizes Babbitt's reluctance to engage with his daily life._

## Links

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