1. Realism in nature and human nature as found in Main Street.
2. Reflection of the lives of the author and his father in the characters of Carol and Dr. Kennicott.
3. The use of satire as an urge to reform in Main Street.
4. American life of the first two decades of the twentieth century as reflected in the novel.
5. Local color and its reflection on human behavior in Main Street.
6. Means of transportation and communication in the early twentieth century.
7. World War I (1914-1918) and its impact on the Main Streets of America.
8. Family life of the period as portrayed in the novel.
9. Comparison of Sinclair Lewis with Dickens in regard to: a. use of social criticism, b. employment of detail, c. characterizations, d. reader interest, and e. position in literature.
10. The marriage of Sinclair Lewis and Dorothy Thompson and how it affected the careers of both writers.