Babbitt (novel) - Depictions of Youth

Depictions of Youth

Although Lewis sought to portray the middle-aged American in Babbitt, he includes tidbits of his character’s youthful dreams and ideals. Babbitt often reflects on his failed goal of becoming a lawyer. In college he dreamed of defending the poor against the “Unjust Rich,” and possibly even running for governor. He began practicing real estate in college to earn money for living expenses, but settled into real estate permanently shortly after marriage. Babbitt’s best friend Paul is similarly haunted by unfulfilled dreams. He is a talented violinist and when he was younger he had hoped to study abroad in Europe. When he and Babbitt leave for their trip to Maine they stop off in New York, where Paul looks longingly at ocean liners set to cross the Atlantic. Although Paul still played the violin on occasion, when he did “even Zilla was silent as the lonely man who lost his way… spun out his dark soul in music.” Even though Babbitt and Paul abandoned their former goals and ideals, Babbitt still dreams of a “fairy child.” She is an imaginary woman, full of life and gaiety, who does not see him as a stogy old businessman, but a “gallant youth.” He imagines various women as his fairy child, including his secretary, a manicurist, his son’s girlfriend Eunice Littlefield, and finally Tanis Judique.

Babbitt, having failed in his aspirations to become a lawyer himself, hopes that his son Ted will go to law school. Ted, however, is hardly interested in finishing high school. Rather than focusing on college, Ted clips advertisements for correspondence courses and money-making schemes. In the novel’s dramatic final scene Ted announces that he has eloped with his girlfriend Eunice Littlefield, and intends on forgoing college to become an engineer. Ted’s girlfriend and later fiancé, is described as “movie crazy,” and very modern in appearance, wearing her hair in a short bob and dressing in skirts that showed off her knees.

Babbitt's hopes for his daughter Verona consist mostly of her making a good marriage. Babbitt is concerned with her socialist leaning political views. The books she reads, including poetry by Vachel Lindsay and essays by H.L. Mencken, particularly disturb him. He finds these authors threatening to the virtues of solid-citizenship. Babbitt’s youngest daughter Tinka, only ten at the start of the book, is doted upon and admired.