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He was a prosperous real-estate broker, a pillar of his Midwestern community, and a believer in success for its own sake. George F. Babbitt was his name and complacent American middle-class values were his game. Created by Sinclair Lewis in the satirical 1922 novel Babbitt, he epitomized the unimaginative and self-important businessmen that Lewis found typical of the provincial cities and towns of America—and the word Babbitt quickly became a byname for one who adheres to a conformist, materialistic, unimaginative way of life. Despite his evident prosperity and status, Lewis’s protagonist remains vaguely dissatisfied with life and makes tentative attempts at rebellion; in the end, however, he finds his need for social acceptance greater than his desire for escape.
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“Babbitt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Babbitt. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
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