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The Influence of Henry David Thoreau on Sinclair Lewis It would be easy to assume that author Sinclair Lewis shared nothing in common with Henry David Thoreau. At first glance, Lewis’s popular satirical novel Babbitt would appear to be a completely different work from Thoreau’s philosophical classic Walden, uninspired by and possibly even disputing Thoreauvian principles. Upon closer inspection, however, it can be seen that both touch upon the same ideas. The two writers express concern over various secular issues, speaking about the life of the individual and that person’s place in society. Should he conform or rebel? Should he live simply or under the rule of material wealth? Through these conflicting issues, the links between American writers Lewis and Thoreau are even clearer. Even though offering opposing ideas on the various aspects of earthly life, the two literary classics visibly share a common concern for the functions of society, and it is evident that Sinclair Lewis, in his satirical voice, actually viewed the work of Thoreau with the utmost respect. Lewis’s character of George Babbitt and Henry David Thoreau actually represent opposite extremes of an individual living in