Lewis was not afraid to attack the sacred American ideals and institutions; no section of society was free from his scrutiny. To exemplify his writing style and satirical nature, segments from his works - Main Street, Babbitt and Elmer Gantry - were dramatized throughout this documentary.

Carol Kennicott, the lead character of Main Street, is an idealist who sets out to change the town of Gopher Prairie and to incorporate some culture into the shallow townspeople’s lives. The dramatization of Babbitt attacks the free enterprise system and the American businessman through the reenactment of the main character. Then,
in the Elmer Gantry segment, the institution of religion is challenged. A self-indulgent, hypocritical evangelist is portrayed, and his only concern generates around the almighty dollar as opposed to saving souls.

Winning the Pulitzer Prize award in 1926 for Arrowsmith and then declining it, Lewis became the epitome of the American Dream, which he criticized. He was the small-town boy who made it big, gaining recognition, wealth and success. He was also the first American author to win the Nobel Prize. This documentary chronicles his life and beginnings in the small town of Sauk Center to his transition of becoming an
award-winning author.

During Lewis' lifetime, 1885 to 1951, he wrote 23 novels and several plays and created a name for himself by becoming a social critic. Sinclair Lewis: The Man From Main Street is grouped together with other WBGU-PBS documentaries: Sherwood Anderson's Blue Ridge Country, Lo, The Rich Land (Louis Bromfield), The Reluctant Hero: Brand Whitlock, and Up In Michigan, Hemmingway The Early Story in a tributary collection that explores and commemorates the lives of these literary greats.

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