Lewis And Barton's The Man Nobody Knows

Coming out of the Great War, America became one of the most affluent nations in the world. Technological advances, automobile industries, and many other industries increased production and consumer rates; therefore, the 1920s developed into an era of prosperity. This emergence of immense fortune fancied many business leaders to advertise business as the ideal life for everyone. In 1922, Sinclair Lewis wrote a satire called Babbitt that critiques and defines an ideal citizen in business-oriented America. Also in 1925, Bruce Barton wrote a best seller called The Man Nobody Knows which argued that Jesus Christ is the model of the modern businessman that everyone should follow. Although Lewis and Barton promoted the business attitude differently

The 1920s experienced an increase in consumer-goods industries, real wages, productivity of production, and a decline in the length of the average employee’s workweek (Faragher, p.655). This richness fueled business fanatics to promote more Americans to support their endeavors. For instance, Barton persuaded religious followers to believe that Jesus proclaimed himself as a businessman. In doing so, this encouraged Jesus’s followers to become businessmen, whether they were to become leaders or workers who would contribute to the success of an industry. Similarly, Lewis sends the same message, but in a different manner. Lewis created a character, Babbitt, who essentially is the paragon of the ideal citizen that Lewis saw around him. He glorifies this ideal citizen by saying, “His conscience clear, having contributed his mite to the prosperity of the city and to his own bank-account.” As humans, we all strive to advance in this competitive world to acquire luxury. Nonetheless, these two documents advertise the righteousness and indulgence prosperous men experience, thus inspiring men to participate in the era of

Although Lewis was disgusted by materialistic businessmen, he accepted the fact that he was one of them. This is what makes his satire note-worthy because even though Lewis recognized that businessmen enjoyed wealth and a family, his character, Babbitt, loses his mind and moral integrity. A man may possess the highest valuable position, but also may perhaps be suffering emotionally. A businessman’s life is most likely monotonous because of his repetitive schedule. Lewis’s excerpt gave the notion that Babbitt lost touch with his inner self and is not entirely content with who he has become. On the other hand, Barton’s excerpt exemplifies how easily advertisers persuade consumers by connecting with potential customers at a psychological level. Barton played off of the concept of how it is human nature to be one position higher than everyone else. Furthermore, he tapped into society’s desires to do what Jesus would do in order to create more businessmen which yields a more affluent