Babbitt Lesson Plan

How has George Babbitt's perception of Charley McKelvey changed since the novel's outset? What does this say about how his character has changed?

Begin this discussion by having student revisit George and Myra's conversation about the McKelveys at the beginning of the novel. Early on, George speaks of Charley quite contemptuously: Babbitt once suggested that Charley McKelvey was so concerned with appearances and owning nice suits that he likely didn't even own "a decent set of underwear," and George asserts that he "wouldn't want to go there with dinner with that gang of, of highbinders."

Now, in Chapter 15, we see George completely reverse course. He clings to...