Introduction
Rated NC-18 (Nerdy Content from a 18-year-old): Sinclair Lewis's It Can't Happen Here
Rated NC-18 (Nerdy Content from a 18-year-old): Sinclair Lewis's It Can't Happen Here
If you’re a fan of literature or popular culture in general, you start to notice a common element that is found in all mediums of entertainment: that certain works are a reflection on the circumstances of the epoch, and convey the author's perspectives on what was occurring in said epoch; and this all but evident in dystopian fiction. John Brunner’s The Sheep Look Up surfaced in the 70’s, a time when environmental issues were a hot topic and as a result presented of the world in which nature, and as a result civilization, is in a state of decay; Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale was published at a time when the zealous (and sometimes quite reactionary) Christian Right was gaining momentum. But alas, those are different posts for another month. Now, you see readers, there was this magical time called the 1930’s, and during said time, the far right (or false right as I like to call them) was trying (and succeeding) to become a thing. Now I say false right because reactionary ideologies and the political right (and radical ideologies and the political left) have to do with each other as much as liver cancer has to do with the actual liver. Actually, cancer is a perfect allegory for these kinds of extremist perspectives: they’re sickening and harmful perversions that need to be destroyed lest catastrophe fall. But personal beliefs aside, let’s get back on topic. The point is the false right was trying to win friends and influence people, and despite their differences, they had common elements to them. The ride on a wave of fanatical patriotism; claim to be saviours of the downtrodden and forgotten; and have a band of thugs that for some reason have to pathologically slap a colour in front of the word “shirts”. Elaboration you may ask? You’ve got Brown Shirts, Black Shirts, Silver Shirts, Khaki Shirts, Violet, Magenta, Lime Green, Turquoise, Cyan, Orange, Purple, Scarlet -- okay only the first four ever existed but it was such a fad at the time that the rest might’ve as well! On top of that, what 20th-century extremist movement would be complete without a seething hatred of Judaism. What more can I say, at the time they are to what Islam is today: the cool thing to be an utter jerk to (MAJOR DISCLAIMER: Anti-Semitism is the most uncool thing in existence; in fact so are all other forms of bigotry). But of course every political trend is going to have its fair share of critics; one of them was Sinclair Lewis. A famed social satirist who took jabs at the materialism and excesses of middle-class greed, saw the dangers to be found in these extremist movements, and that even a country like the United States with its principles both inspired and entrenched in liberalism, it was bound to be tainted by such detrimental dogma, as seen with populist figures such as Huey Long (or as I like to call him, Screw-you Long). And so was published one of his most famous works. 1984’s title was a simple date; Brave New World had a line from Shakespeare; Lewis’ novel had a cutting remark from at the time the typical American’s thoughts on if fascists could take over America, simply named: It Can’t Happen Here! But Lewis was determined to show the public that IT CAN HAPPEN HERE! (or there because well, I don’t live in the USA).
Plot Summary
The novel follows our main protagonist, Doremus Jessup; a elderly journalist, who takes on the role of ‘the senile geezer who always assumes that everything was better in his day and is resentful of the modern trends and the young people who relish them and won’t shut up about it”. Unfortunately, his quiet little life in the quaint town of Fort Beulah is about to be turned upside down by the squall that is brewing in American politics. Gaining momentum as the Democrat candidate for President is the reactionary populist Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip riding on a wave of discontent and anger with Congress (very fitting that he’s the Democratic candidate because he is a big jackass). Despite all of his nonsensical (if not depraved) ideas he manages wins the presidency, because why would you give a bleep about racial equality; women’s rights; or Constitutional freedoms? He’s gonna pay every family $5000 a year and annihilate every communist in existence (if by Communist you mean any person who disagrees with Buzz then yeah). And it doesn’t take long after his inauguration for every person with so much as a single brain cell (and a heart) that, when it comes the well-being of the country, Windrip is nothing short of an utter buzzkill (ha-ha, very funny). And now it’s the people who have any dignity left to resist him.
Analysis of the Nightmare World
If one were to analyze the bits and pieces of Windrip’s government or the Corpos, look no further than their very own 15 points of victory. It basically goes something like “every family gets $5000 a year; double the supply of money; more than double the size of the military; screw big business (actually they mean the companies that aren’t loyal to the state); screw the trade unions; screw the rights of women; screw the rights of African Americans: screw the Judaists; screw the non-Christians; screw the Commies and Anarchists (the one point I agree with, because the false-left is just as revolting as the false-right, but sorry for agreeing with them at all); screw checks and balances in the government; screw the Constitution; screw anyone who disagrees with us and anyone who does is an evil virus of Satan”. Because this surfaced at a time when Hitler was sending Germany into a downward spiral to the dark chasm of fascism you can expect to see a lot of similarities; state-run media; thinking every race either than Nordics are scum; concentration camps; Anti-Semitism; personality cults; a militia/police force of puritanical loyal followers; etc, etc, etc. All painted in red, white, and blue.
Is the Nightmare a Reality
Now, a lot of people has said this novel’s setting bears an uncanny resemblance to (America’s) current state of affairs, and with that we can’t help but address the elephant in the room... (get it? Elephant in the room, because the President is a Republican, heh heh heh hhhh, *ahem*)
...this guy…
...this FRICKIN’ GUY!
Yes, there are those that are saying that the rise of Buzz Windrip mirrors the rise of Donald Trump (or as I have christened him: Dumb-old Rump). I mean yeah, they’re similar in some respects: both have similar electoral bases; both have sucked up in a comparable fashion to said bases, and both have advocated for reactionary policies. But let’s make something clear. Take a good long look at the photograph above and seriously tell me that THIS GUY, THIS GUY is the next Benito Mussolini? pfft yeah, right. As much as I dislike this air-headed orange manatee of a President and the righty tighties who support him, I don’t believe all the hysteria and panic that’s being poured out by a biased media and envenomed lefty loosies. Is their rise similar? in many ways yes; is their government similar? No. And besides, there are many governments (and govt’s that have existed beforehand) around the world that do match Windrip’s Corpo govt.
How does it fare as a novel
So does it match the same kind of literary genius that was found in 1984? Unfortunately not. The plot is a bit of a soap opera; the characters aren’t that poignant or memorable; the dialogue is a bit hard to follow, and the dystopia created by the antagonists isn’t as threatening as 1984. Yet despite all of this, I still found it a decent novel. One of the biggest positives that this text has is the message and criticisms it sends across. The elements that I mentioned were all meant to show that it can happen here; and there; anywhere and everywhere, and that no matter how entrenched in liberalism a country may be; none are safe from whatever brand or variation of puritanical dogma is advertised by whatever type of despot or demagogue, whether they be false-right or false-left. And one of the messages that I find striking is when Doremus finds out who the real villain was during the ascension and reign of the Corpos:
“The tyranny of this dictatorship isn’t primarily the fault of Big Business, nor of the demagogues who do their dirty work. It’s the Fault of Doremus Jessup! Of all the conscientious, respectable, lazy-minded Doremus Jessups, who have let the demagogues wriggle in, without fierce enough protest.” teaching us that the demagogues aren’t the only guilty party, but those who say they oppose them but haven’t done anything to stop them. A lesson that we citizens whether we be Liberal, Conservative or Centrist, need to take heed of.
My Grade: B for Butchering extremist ideologies since 1935
