Elmer Gantry essays

Elmer Gantry essays The majority of all books are trash. Sinclair Lewis Elmer Gantry is a great book because it has credibility, a timeless theme, and it has the necessary action. Any book that can do that is a great book. The credibility of Elmer Gantry is something that will keep this book eternally great. Although the actual time period is dated, the plot is not dated. Most people can relate to the different characters in the book. Elmer is a pompous football player who thinks that he is higher than any religion. However, people try, and successfully convert him. He attempts to please two masters at first: his vices and God. He eventually makes the decision to live by God, but of course he will occasionally fool around with his old vices, especially adultery. Most people know someone who is like this and still somehow succeeds although he shouldnt have. Although Elmer is more extreme than the people the reader is likely to know, he is still a very credible characters. Another thing that makes this a timeless novel is that it has the needed action to attract the reader who only wants entertainment. Elmer often gets into fights that will keep the reader in the edge of their seat. He will face odds that most would run away from, but also has times when he backs down from a fight, such as when Brother Naylor and Brother Bains confront him about fooling around with Lulu. It also has enough opportunities for the modern person to think about sex although it doesnt graphically say what happens. This makes all the sex scenes up to the reader which may dismiss them or relish on them. A book with this combination of sex and violence makes it a book that it is even suitable for easy reading for the person who does not want to learn anything. Finally, Elmer Gantry is a timeless book because it has a universal theme: humans will always sin. It is most obviously seen through Elmer, although it is seen in other...