Arrowsmith-a Great Satirical Novel

Sinclair Lewis (1885—1951), the first American writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, characterizes his writing with powerful and vivid descriptions and creations of a new type of images with wit and humor. He is an observer and commentator of the multiple faceted life of his time; he is a satirist, critic and judge of that age. Cherishing with deep love for his ideal America, he always uses his faithful pen to reflect the reality while exerts his sharp tone to satirize the drawbacks. Therefore, the most remarkable characteristic of his works is that they emphasize realistic appeal as well as the satiric result. His works disclose American social problems and his masterpieces have become most rewarding books if one wants to know about the American society in the 1920s.Lewis's accomplishment lies mainly on the five satiric novels he produced in the 1920s. Those novels not only manifest his consummate skill, but also establish his important place in the literary history. Among them, Arrowsmith (1925) is universally acknowledged as one of his masterpieces. Arrowsmith was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1926 though Lewis declined.The present thesis attempts to analyze Sinclair Lewis's satire on the convention in Arrowsmith. Lewis criticizes the American society for its conformity, its utilitarianism and hypocrisy. They are just the worst aspects of the American life that give rise to the rebellion of the character in Arrowsmith. And the thesis also discusses the satirical techniques developed by Sinclair Lewis in Arrowsmith. The satirical descriptions in Arrowsmith make the novel both vivid and interesting. The inflation-deflation patterns reveal the ridiculousness of the characters, the sarcastic comparison gives the reader a good insight into the utilitarian and ridiculous minds of the American people, and parody ridicules the affected and nonsensical speech and writing style in the 1920s.In Arrowsmith, Lewis employs a variety of satirical techniques and exposes the social phenomena of America in the 1920s.