It Can't Happen Here

It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
Adult Graphic Novels-Main Level GIA


The Great Depression was one of the defining events for the United States. In hindsight, it is easy for the current generation may just assume that our country was destined to pull through with our democratic system intact. But this was no guarantee. Powerful forces such as Father Coughlin, Huey Long, and the Business Plot against FDR were real, dangerous threats to American democracy. Authors such as Sinclair Lewis wrote works of fiction to criticize these authoritarian figures. Lewis’s 1935 novel It Can’t Happen Here is one of the many novels written last century that warns Americans about how fragile democracy can actually be. Many Americans have always assumed that a dictatorship is not possible in this country but Lewis details in chilling fashion how such a takeover could have happened at this vulnerable point in history.

Americans during this point of the Great Depression were weary and uncertain about the future. In the story, the charismatic Senator Buzz Windrip rises to power with his paramilitary group the Minute Men along with promises to restore American greatness. Windrip gains support by using xenophobia, prejudice, and even promises of paying Americans a cash sum after he is elected. These promises, along with the general discontent in the country, help him win the election of 1936. Windrip quickly consolidates power by curbing the authority of Congress, lets corporations extend their influence, and silences any dissent. While some characters can see the horrible direction these actions will lead the country, others dismiss these fears because they simply cannot believe a real dictatorship can happen in the country, hence the title of the book. The rest of the novel sees the main character Doremus Jessup enduring the tightening state control over his life while struggling to find a way to fight back.

Lewis’s novel may come from a different era but its lessons can apply to any generation. During any economic distress, citizens may turn to easy answers while people in power use the circumstances to justify their actions. This book will easily appeal to fans of the genres of dystopian fiction, political fiction, or alternate history.