Tuesday, September 11, 2012

main street




i have wanted to read main street by sinclair lewis for quite awhile. sinclair was from a little minnesota town called sauk centre, which is where the fictional town of gopher prairie was based. my grandmother was born and raised in sauk centre (she was actually born in 1920, the same year the book debuted) and her family had lived in the community since the 1860s. the book stirred quite a bit of controversy due to its portrayal of small town living as full of gossip and hypocrites which went against the typical view of small town life as moral and "wholesome". the book was banned in several small towns across the nation, and the sauk centre residents felt resentful.

the main character, carol, marries a small town doctor and moves to this hometown of gopher prairie. she initially is full of good intentions and wants to bring culture and beauty to the small town, but finds its inhabitants are not interested in these efforts. the book spans about 8 years and follows carols relationship with the town and its residents from her initial enthusiasm to her gradual hatred and resentment of the town. she eventually comes to terms with gopher prairie and appreciates it for what it is - but without giving up on her ideals.

coming from a small town myself, i found the book really resonated with me. i did the opposite of carol; i was born and raised in a small town and moved away. when i moved away, it was somewhat reluctantly. however, whether it is being older, or being away for awhile, i do not think i could move back to such a small place permanently for many of the same reasons that are portrayed in this book. but my small town played a very important part in my childhood and i'm proud of my small town roots.

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