Main Street: Lewis’s Satire on Social Problem in Small Town of Gopher Prairie in Middle West of America (Main Street: Kecaman Lewis terhadap Masalah Masyarakat di Kota Kecil Gopher Prairie di Barat Daya Amerika)

Abstract

Main Street is a novel telling its readers about the social problem in small town of Gopher Prairie in middle west of America. This article discusses about how Lewis, the writer of this novel, satirizes and criticizes the life of middle –class people of this town where Lewis finds it dull. He further sets down the audible and visual things of middle class’s complacency, meanness, jealousy, gossips and the ugliness of railway station, and of the main street of the town. Through Carol, the main character of this novel, Lewis tries to express his ideas to reform this town as the representative of other towns in America which have such condition as Gopher Prairie. Lewis describes that Carol finds nothing to make her happy and comes across the intact aristocracy and hypocrisy of the town. The life experiences of Carol and her husband are taken as the main topic of this research by using Expressive and Psychological Approaches. It is depicted that Carol wants to refom all of the systems of the town to be more modern but she is unsuccessful. Even though She is always disappointed but never frustrated. The result of this research proves that it is impossible to reform the town personally but she has to compromise with the people living in the environment.