Babbitt

"Being a man given to oratory and high principles, he enjoyed the sound of his own vocabulary and the warmth of his own virtue."

-Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt



In the novel Babbitt (1922), Sinclair Lewis created a sardonic portrait of a typical American businessman, striving to conform to the standards of the American culture of the time. Its "hero" is a real estate salesman who, having striven to become a solid citizen in middle America, gradually becomes aware how shallow his ideals are. After the book's publication, the term "Babbitt" became a popular reference to describe people who are social conformists.