Conspicuous Consumption And The Commodified Relationship

Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951), whose works were known for their astute and critical views of American society and their values, presenting a vivid and picturesque panorama of America in the1920s in a satirical way with great wit and humor, was the first American writer to win Nobel Prize in literature in1930. He was always considered as a controversial character in American literature, who was overnight famous in the1920s, while being soon forgotten afterwards. In1980s, many researchers and critics began to reinterpret his works from various aspects, such as Feminism, Naturalism and other new perspectives instead of the old, traditional way which only focused on the realistic and satirical features of his works. Elmer Gantry, written in1927. was one of his most successful and satirical novels, mainly depicting a decadent yet ambitious priest, who eventually became famous and powerful but rotten inside to reflect the rising of Consumerism, the fading of traditional values and the longing for material well-being in American society in the1920s.This thesis aims not only to explore Sinclair Lewis’s Elmer Gantry from the perspective of the Consumer Culture to exploit consumption values of the priests and ordinary people in the1920s, as well as the practical usage and cultural implication of certain commodities, but also to explore, at the crucial turn of the consumer society, especially in the1920s, the irresistible material temptation and its effects on all Americans including Elmer Gantry, the hero of the novel. Thus, it means to ponder the subtle but dramatic changes in interpersonal relationship and people’s lives, such as views on consumption which changed under the influence of advertisement and installment, and traditional values which were replaced by consumerism to purchase luxuries in order to flaunt wealth, status, and taste, then to change their life styles and behavior modes.There are five parts in the thesis. The first part is the introduction that briefly introduces the famous works and literary career of Sinclair Lewis, the social background and literature review of the novel as well as the consumer culture studies theory applied in the thesis, and the significance of the thesis that it can be considered as the first thesis of Master of Arts studying Elmer Gantry as well as the first one to study it from the perspective of the Consumer Culture.The main body of the thesis embodies three chapters. Chapter One lists and analyzes conspicuous consumption at that time from three dimensions, clothing, automobiles and housing to reveal people’s longing for fancy clothes, luxurious automobiles, sumptuous houses and decorations, and taking these everyday necessities as symbols of success, status and taste. Chapter Two depicts the strong influence of mass media, such as newspaper, radio, book and magazine mentioned in the novel, each of which plays an important role in consumer culture by guiding people’s thinking and changing their lifestyles fundamentally. Sermons were updated by the priests, such as Elmer who was a genius in advertising and rewarded tremendously from his sermons with powerful and persuasive diction as well as theatrical and exaggerative performance. The third chapter illustrates and analyzes the transformation of interpersonal relationship under the erosion of consumerism from three dimensions. Firstly, the relationship between husband and wife changed dramatically, taking Elmer and Cleo’s marriage for example, which purely based on money and benefits instead of on love and trust. Secondly, the relationship between lovers, such as Elmer and his mistresses, unveils people’s attitudes towards love at that time. Thirdly the relationship between employees and employer presents the changing of interpersonal relationship of that time.The last part is the conclusion aiming to summarize that in the historical context of consumer society of America in the1920s, this thesis, on one hand, interprets Lewis’s Elmer Gantry from the perspective of consumption culture by excavating the reproduction of consumption culture in the novel; while on the other hand, investigates the moral values and behavior modes of Americans in that period as well as Lewis’s critical attitudes towards them, which may hopefully provide a perspective to those who are greatly influenced by contemporary consumerism and the phenomenon of consumer society in China.