It’s often said that America’s strength lies in its middle class: ordinary, hard-working citizens who raise families, pay taxes, and build churches. In his 1920 novel Main Street, Sinclair Lewis explores these stalwarts through the eyes of a young woman who wants more from life than mediocrity.

Carol Milford, a college graduate with lofty ambitions, marries Dr. Will Kennicott, who takes her to his home in Gopher Prairie, Minnesota. There she finds her new neighbors small-minded, coarse, cliquish, self-satisfied, and gossipy. After a few unsuccessful attempts to blend in, Carol decides to reform them. She recruits such allies as Vida Sherwin, a schoolteacher; Guy Pollack, a thoughtful bachelor; and Miles Bjornstam, the town’s handyman and closet intellectual.

Gopher Prairie responds negatively to her efforts to beautify the town; to start a literary society, a theatrical company, and an organization to help poor people. In this community, poverty is the fault of its victims, and socialists are America’s enemies. As one character puts it, “The Republican Party is the agent of the Lord, and all socialists ought to be hanged.” Carol herself suffers from mood swings, often uncertain of her goals.

There is more to Gopher Prairie than its time-worn conventions. Lewis’s rich narration helps us to understand the history and traditions that form middle class societies. The townspeople are stodgy, but they can also be heroic, generous and compassionate. It’s a weak and narrow faith that binds them together while keeping them stagnant.

Main Street is a character study that immerses us in the foundations on which America was built. Some readers may find it tedious and predictable, but it’s important to remember that in 1920 Lewis’s observations were radical and offensive to his targets. The parallels to Twenty-First Century America are evident, because human nature transcends time and circumstances. In the citizens of Gopher Prairie, we find reflections of ourselves.

Chevron Ross's novels include Weapons of Remorse, The Seven-Day Resurrection, and The Samaritan's Patient. Click here for more information.