A Cultural Analysis Of The �Village Virus� In Sinclair Lewis' Main Street

Main Street is the masterpiece of the first American Nobel laureate Sinclair Lewis.It tells the story of the heroine Carol's failure in reforming the small town Gopher Prairie.The author puts forward the idea of �village virus� with the words of Guy Pollock,and this term is the ironic description of the popular conservative,arrogant,narrow-minded way of thinking in the early 19 th century Midwestern towns.This thesis attempts to analyze the �village virus� from the perspective of cultural study,and specifically from the aspects of material culture,spiritual culture and institutional culture.This thesis includes five parts: introduction,three chapters of the main body and conclusion.The introduction includes the life of Sinclair Lewis,the �village virus�,the literature reviews of Main Street from home and abroad,as well as the concept and categories of Culture.Chapter One discusses the �village virus� in material culture.It was mainly reflected in three aspects: the ugly country landscape,the monotonous dressing style of country people,the unsound cultural and public facilities.This chapter shows the conservative social realities of American small towns.Chapter Two discusses the �village virus� in spiritual culture.It was mainly reflected in three aspects: the arrogance and narrow-mindedness of village people,the tediousness of cultural and recreational activities of village people,the weakness of the village intellectuals.This chapter illustrates the residents' empty spiritual world and life values.Chapter Three discusses the �village virus� in institutional culture.It was mainly reflected in three aspects: The standardized lifestyle,the conspicuous pattern of consumption,the unequal status of men and women in marriage and love.This chapter presents the residents' pathological lifestyles and social customs.The conclusion summarizes the thesis and points out that the �village virus� wasconcluded by Lewis through his deep understanding of American society.And through the description of �village virus�,Lewis made a fierce attack on the American village life and a deep ponderation over the human living conditions.