Elmer Gantry

"Elmer Gantry" by Sinclair Lewis is a story about a young man named Elmer Gantry who tries to find his way in the world, dealing with religion, wanting to be important, and his own bad habits. Elmer seems charming, but he has problems. The book looks at how some people in religion don't always practice what they preach, and how power can change people. At the beginning, Elmer is a loud college student who likes to party. He's good at football but doesn't really know what he wants in life and isn't responsible. He and his roommate, Jim Lefferts, are very different. Elmer is strong but acts like a child, while Jim thinks more deeply about things. Even though Elmer acts tough, he's confused about religion and wants more excitement than college can offer. This start shows that the story will explore belief, figuring out who you are, and the difficult path to finding yourself.