Question

Then he discovered the annex to the party. The boys and girls disappeared occasionally, and he remembered rumors of their drinking together from hippocket flasks. He tiptoed round the house, and in each of the dozen cars waiting in the street he saw the points of light from cigarettes, from each of them heard high giggles. He wanted to denounce them but (standing in the snow, peering round the dark corner) he did not dare. He tried to be tactful. When he had returned to the front hall he coaxed the boys, "Say, if any of you fellows are thirsty, there's some dandy ginger ale. "Oh! Thanks!" they condescended. He sought his wife, in the pantry, and exploded, "I'd like to go in there and throw some of those young pups out of the house!" - Excerpt from the novel Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis 1922 Using the passage, which term contributed the LEAST to creating a "jazz age" in the 1920's?

Answer 1

The term that contributed the least to the creation of the 'jazz age' is 'conformity,' as it is representative of the satirized behavior criticized by Sinclair Lewis, contrasting with the Jazz Age's celebration of individuality and social freedom.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks which term contributed the least to the creation of the "jazz age" in the 1920s in relation to the passage from the novel Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis. The passage describes the conformist and hypocritical aspect of the American middle class by mentioning the secret drinking from hippocket flasks and the pretentious offer of ginger ale as a socially acceptable beverage. This setting contrasts with the energetic and rebellious spirit of the Jazz Age, which was characterized by a sense of freedom, rebellion against traditional social norms, and lively music and dance.

Given the context from other Lost Generation writers and the themes of their work, it's apparent that Sinclair Lewis's focus on conformism and critique of middle-class values aligns least with the spirit of the Jazz Age, which celebrated individual expression, spontaneity, and a break from conservative mores. Therefore, the term that contributed the least to creating a "jazz age" feeling in this passage would be conformity, as it is more associated with the satirized behaviors that Lewis criticized, rather than the celebratory and unrestrained ethos of the Jazz Age.