“The Spoiled Middleclass” In his novel Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis uses satire in order to develop the idea that the middle class is too comfortable in their modern conveniences and social statuses. The novel’s main points revolve around the middle class being hypocritical, ignorant, and complacent. This is shown though, through satire meaning that Lewis is attempting to shame the middle class into changing their lifestyles by ridiculing and mocking their shortcomings, but in a sophisticated manner. Due to this, there is little hope given by Sinclair Lewis that the middleclass Americans could have ever lived satisfying lives, there is doubt that they will ever change their insincere and smug ways; however, in the closing remarks of the novel Lewis shows hope in a satisfying life for the future generation in a conversation between Babbitt and his son. Babbitt is a middleclass businessman who lives in the city of Zineth during the 1920s, an era that is post-World War I and pre-Great Depression. In the brief span of time between these two momentous events in American History there is a period of economic prosperity. Society believes that the world is in order and that it was a time of financial growth for those who were seeking wealth. There is suddenly an emergence of the businessman, a new acceptable career that, in turn, brought about an emerging middleclass that, in turn, brought about a new lifestyle. This lifestyle was based off of conformity. Lewis even mentioned how the process of life seemed “mechanical”. Every household was the same from its architecture to its furnishings and modern conveniences. It was a lifestyle that was created by the people of the class itself entirely based on business-like transactions on a materialistic scale in concern merely of social standings and a need for superficial titles and possessions. This everyday sameness