| Arrowsmith |  | Author: Sinclair Lewis
Publisher: Signet Classics
Category: Book
Buy Used: $4.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  38 reviews
Media: Paperback
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7 x 5 x 1
ISBN: 0451505980
EAN: 9780451505989
ASIN: 0451505980
Publication Date: October 1, 1961
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Nice soft cover, read once, light shelf wear to cover, light creases on spine, light aging Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. Audience: General/trade.
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Amazon.com
As the son and grandson of physicians, Sinclair Lewis had a store of experiences and imparted knowledge to draw upon for Arrowsmith.Published in 1925, after three years of anticipation, the book follows the life of Martin Arrowsmith, a rather ordinary fellow who gets his first taste of medicine at 14 as an assistant to the drunken physician in his home town. It is Leora Tozer who makes Martin's life extraordinary. With vitality and love, she urges him beyond the confines of the mundane to risk answering his true calling as a scientist and researcher. Not even her tragic death can extinguish her spirit or her impact on Martin's life.
Product Description
Written at the height of his powers in the 1920s, the three novels in this volume continue the vigorous unmasking of American middle-class life begun by Sinclair Lewis in Main Street and Babbitt. In Arrowsmith (1925) Lewis portrays the medical career of Martin Arrowsmith, a physician who finds his commitment to the ideals of his profession tested by the cynicism and opportunism he encounters in private practice, public health work, and scientific research. The novel reaches its climax as its hero faces his greatest challenges amid a deadly outbreak of plague on a Caribbean island.
Elmer Gantry (1927) aroused intense controversy with its brutal depiction of a hypocritical preacher in relentless pursuit of worldly pleasure and power. Through his satiric expose of American religion, Lewis captured the growing cultural and political tension in the 1920s between the forces of secularism and fundamentalism.
Dodsworth (1929) follows Sam Dodsworth, a wealthy, retired Midwestern automobile manufacturer, as he travels through Europe with his increasingly restless wife, Fran. The novel intimately explores the unraveling of their marriage, while pitting the proud heritage of European culture against the rude vigor of American commercialism.
Download Description
This concise supplement to Sinclair Lewis's Arrowsmith helps students understand the overall structure of the work, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
 First-rate fiction July 6, 2008
As a biomedical researcher, I identify with Martin Arrowsmith so my review may be a bit biased. As a writer, Lewis is first-rate. Most of the novel (up until the climax; you'll know it when you get to it) is very tightly plotted and quite gripping. I first read it over 30 years ago and I re-read it yesterday; it speaks to me now as then and is one of my favorite novels containing one of my favorite lines: Professor Gottlieb's description of organic vs physical chemistry, which I agree with. Why Lewis refused to accept the Pulitzer for it astounds me to this day. Should be required reading for grad students.
Arrowsmith hits the mark January 27, 2008
I picked up this book by chance in an airport bookstore. After reading the first section about Arrowsmith's great-grandmother and her determination to go west, I was hooked. The writing is crisp, the satire is sharp, and the characters are as alive as any on paper. Martin Arrowsmith has his weaknesses and waverings, but his resolute pursuit of his goals is inspiring; like his wife Leora, you're willing to follow him anywhere. This novel will be particularly interesting to those in the fields of science and medicine. But, to quote Martin, if you have ever wanted to be "anything but a machine for digestion and propagation and obedience," you will find something in his character and adventures that will push you to live with greater purpose.
Must read for anyone who aspires to become something in life! December 31, 2007
Great story of young idealism and enthusiasm in struggle with bigotry, backwardness. Despite being set in its time and social circumstances, remains timeless. Highly recommended for those who aspire to become doctors, especially for those choosing academic and scientific careers. For others it is lasting reminder that to achieve something great in life one has to pay the price, that there are not only rewards.
worth reading December 13, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I'm surprised to see so many less than stellar reviews of this book, because I really enjoyed it. Those who like tales of the early discoveries in classical microbiology, told with excitement as in Paul de Kruif's Microbe Hunters, will find plenty to love in these albeit fictional chapters. While the story can really get you excited about science, it also shows that, no matter how well-intentioned and important one's work may be, there can be exorbitant costs associated with too much passion for it. Good lessons for anyone contemplating in a career in science, which can easily consume too much of one's life, in my opinion. Beyond this, I throroghly enjoyed the characters, humor and description of the places and times. This is a book that is well worth reading.
 An endless zigzag March 22, 2007
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Sinclair Lewis defines Martin Arrowsmith as `a young man who was in no degree a hero, who regarded himself as a seeker of truth, yet who stumbled and slid back all his life and bogged in every obvious morass.' He is `a snuffing beagle', who in his lifespan covered in this book never was in control of his destiny.
This book touches all kind of important themes:
-Commercialism and the religion of a scientist: `Knowledge is the greatest thing in the medical world, but it's no good whatever if you can't sell it.'
-Commercialism and profession: `Explain to a patient, also his stricken and anxious family, the hard work and thought you are giving to his case, and so make him feel that the good you have done to him, is even greater than the fee you plan to charge.'
-Public v. private health system: `to get rid of avoidable diseases and produce a healthy population is killing commercialization, making money. Therefore doctors must become public health officers.'
-Psycho-analysts as guess-scientists.
-General human problems: `the cruelty of nature kicking human beings by every gay device of moonlight and white limbs into heaving babies.
-Influence of the Church on the irrationality of the masses. Its battle against free-thinking.
-Personal problems: alcoholism, marriage.
None of these themes is properly developed.
The scientific basis of this book is very poor: fighting the plague with bacteriophages.
Into the bargain, there is virtually no plot: the human relations with friends, colleagues, professors or women are more or less accidental. Also, after a far too long itinerary, the story ends abruptly.
This book is a big disappointment and can only be recommended to Sinclair Lewis fans.
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