Elmer Gantry
"Elmer Gantry" is a novel by Sinclair Lewis that critiques the intersection of religion and individualism in 1920s America. The story follows Elmer Gantry, a young man who, disillusioned with traditional education and drawn to a hedonistic lifestyle, turns to evangelical religion as a means of self-promotion. Gantry studies at a Baptist theological seminary but struggles to embody the values of Christianity, often displaying opportunistic behavior, particularly in his relationships with women in his congregation. His journey reflects the materialistic culture of the era, revealing how he rises to prominence within the church while publicly condemning vice and privately indulging in unethical behavior.
The novel sparked controversy upon its release, becoming a bestseller yet facing condemnation from various religious groups and attempts at censorship in some cities. Critics recognized Gantry as emblematic of a broader trend in the 1920s, where the traditional Puritan ethic was replaced by a more self-serving version of religiosity. Through Gantry’s character, Lewis explores themes of hypocrisy and the hollowness of success in a society characterized by greed and moral ambiguity. As a result, "Elmer Gantry" remains a significant work for its commentary on the complexities and contradictions of American religious life during a transformative decade.
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Elmer Gantry
Identification: Identification: Satirical novel about a charismatic evangelical preacher
Author: Sinclair Lewis
Date: 1927
Significance: Elmer Gantry presents a scathing picture of religion and individualism in the United States during the 1920s. As a result, the name Elmer Gantry became a shorthand way of describing a type of evangelical preacher who first gained prominence in the 1920s by force of his sensual way of preaching the Gospel and seducing the women in his congregation.
In Elmer Gantry, author and social critic Sinclair Lewis depicts the life of the title character, a callow young man who loves to carouse in saloons and enjoy the charms of dissolute women. The rigors of college study do not appeal to him, and realizing that his days as a football hero are limited, he turns to evangelical religion as a way to pursue his egomaniacal agenda. Gantry studies at a Baptist theological seminary and tries to take the teachings of Christianity to heart, but he remains very much a part of the materialistic culture of the 1920s that Lewis sought to expose.
Very much in the spirit of the 1920s, Gantry proves a successful entrepreneur and crowd pleaser, who is attracted to evangelical religion because of its emphasis on the personality of the preacher. After being expelled from the seminary for drinking, Gantry enjoys a short stint as an assistant (and lover) to an itinerant female preacher. Later, Gantry switches to Methodism—without, however, changing his behavior, which remains opportunistic, especially when it comes to seducing women in his flock. Soon he has acquired a wealthy and well-respected wife and a nice home, the accoutrements of a successful and powerful religious figure. The unreflective and unrepentant Gantry rapidly rises in prominence within the church, publicly decrying vice while privately rationalizing his unethical behaviors. In a decade rampant with financial speculation and individualistic greed, Elmer Gantry took his place alongside George Babbitt and other Lewis characters who succumb to an outwardly successful but inwardly hollow way of life.
Impact
The novel met with a mixed reception, becoming a best seller the year it was published and instigating controversy. Lewis was denounced from the pulpits of many churches, and Boston and other cities sought to ban the sale of the book. At the same time, social critics such as H. G. Wells built on Lewis’s observations, seeing in Elmer Gantry the kind of craven careerist that seemed all too common in 1920s America, where the traditional Puritan ethic had given way to a more self-indulgent religiosity.
Bibliography
Hutchisson, James M. The Rise of Sinclair Lewis, 1920–1930. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1996.
Lingeman, Richard R. Sinclair Lewis: Rebel from Main Street. St. Paul, Minn.: Borealis Books, 2005.
Schorer, Mark. Sinclair Lewis: An American Life. New York: McGraw-Hill: 1961.