To the Lighthouse

A bunch of British people are going on a vacation near a Lighthouse. Most of the novel is spent exploring the inner thoughts of the characters. That would be great if I could relate to the characters. Alas, I had trouble caring much about them and could not focus well on the book.

Death Comes for the Archbishop

Death Comes to the Archbishop details the life of a French priest who is assigned "missionary duty" in the American Southwest. The territory is newly annexed by the United States, but still has a large "Indian" and Mexican population. The priest eventually becomes the archbishop over the region. He is tasked with overseeing many local Catholic priests who have taken advantage of the remoteness of the territory. There also many people that need help in different ways. Near the end, he is even tasked with bringing in mining prospectors into his fold. He has a companion for many years that also helps him out. He interacts with many scoundrels and well meaning people. There are a few protestants in the area, as well as some natives that have become marginally Christian, while still maintaining a lot of their old ways. He also befriends Kit Carson. In the process, he gains a greater appreciation for the new world, and eventually decides that will be his final place of retirement. The book itself is easily accessible and provides a good view into early America. There are a mix of people that are actively trying to do good and those that are merely trying to enrich themselves. Everyone has their flaws. Even the good actions may at times result in less than ideal outcomes. However, those that can keep their baseline values strong while adapting and adjusting to the circumstances can have a positive impact.

Oil!

Why do I always seem to get Upton Sinclair and Sinclair Lewis confused? Similar names with an overlapping time period will do that.

In the Jungle, Upton Sinclair attempted to write a novel advocating for workers' rights. Instead, he ended up alarming everyone to the dangers of poor food safety. In Oil! he tries again. Again, his story manages to fail in its original goal, while succeeding in other levels.

I found myself sympathizing with the corrupt father. He saw business as a means unto itself. What was best for his business was best for everyone. Bribes were an important part of getting things properly done. They just a small expense that helped to extract maximum value. Bad things may happen, but you must keep going. On the surface the father seems horrid. However, you can't help but be attached to him. He really wanted the best for everyone. He would unite with the oil companies in keeping the wages down, but support the oil workers with housing. Maybe these corrupt businessmen really do have our interest at heart.

The workers and the communists are less desirable. These people seem to be in it for themselves. The communists, especially, seem to be proto-hippies, overly idealistic, but waffling and even being hypocritical in carrying things out. They try to be physically peaceful while at the same time riling everyone up. The main character wants to support the workers and thinks the communists and socialists have good ways of doing it. However, he also enjoys some of the trappings of the well-to-do lifestyle. They also can't decide what to do with traditional morals. Are they imposed or beneficial? Will it detract from the movement.

There is also an ultra hypocritical evangelical preacher, a gold digging wife and a stolen inheritance thrown in for good measure.

It is fascinating to read this from the time period in which it was written. You could place many of those discussions in the 1960s or the 2010s and they would come out the same. When this book was written, the cold war was far in the future. The Great Depression and World War II were also years away. Yet many of the conversations and activities could have easily taken place in 1969 or 2013. Do all generations go through the same phases?

Surprisingly, Oil plays very little role in the story. Sure, it is the background and the source of the family's money. (Which alas, doesn't make it past the death of the father.) We do get pits of how it influences some of the development patterns, especially in California, but it plays a minor role in this story of life in the roaring 20s.

Amerika

Amerika was written by Kafka, yet it comes across as much more traditional style. A young man gets in to trouble in Europe and is sent off to America. He luckily runs in to a relative, and is able to get a good position. Then he alienates the relative and heads west to attempt to make it on his own. America is the land of opportunity.

Elmer Gantry

Elmer Gantry was the "popular jerk" at his school. He was good at athletics. He had leadership position because he told people they had to vote for him. He didn't have friends. In spite of going to a Baptist school and being raised by a very religious mother, he had little need for religion in his life.

However, the people of the school worked on him, and he discovered that he really liked preaching better than studying law. So, he was "converted" and entered the seminary to begin preaching. Things seemed to be going alright. However, he would occasionally slip in to his old ways with women and drink. He was able to get out of one quandary with an astute plan. However, on a train trip to a preaching gig, he fell in to drinking, and missed the gig entirely, resulting in his expulsion. He did some sales for a while, but eventually found his way back to preaching, got married, and then worked his way up to a high position. Then, his dalliances with a girl nearly led to his downfall. Luckily, he was able to dig up some dirt on her, clear his name, and lead the American moral crusade.

Elmer struggles with his carnal urges throughout his life. In spite of his many character flaws, he can be a power of moral persuasion in the lives of many people. He seemed to grow over the course of the novel. At first he was just doing something that was fun. Later, he found that he had a real strength in preaching. He even set personal goals of cleaning up some of his bad behaviors. That he failed to live up to his own expectations is a sign of his humanity. His upward trajectory showed that he could keep improving.

This book was extremely controversial on its release. The rap was that Lewis was portraying preachers in a negative, hypocritical light. While that may have been his intention, the result is a book that shows that success can happen even in spite of character flaws. Religious leaders may be justly held up to a high standard of morality. However, they remain people with their inherent flaws. Athletes may get back in shape after they gain a few pounds in the off-season. Similarly, preachers can still be great if they succumb to moral temptations. The message of "repentance" applies to themselves as well as others. It is almost a pity that these have to be hidden away rather tan made public as an example for everyone else.

In Elmer Gantry, Sinclair Lewis has created another one of his timeless characters.