Sinclair Lewis is known for writing books which revolve around protagonists consumed by vice, be it greed, pride, or hate. Arrowsmith is about a young man who's commitment to truth turns him into a villain. Since he was a child, Martin Arrowsmith possessed immense passion for truth. He wants to know all that is observably true, and science, specifically medicine, is his preferred method of investigation. Through a series of choices, Martin proves to himself and everyone else that he is actually infatuated with science.
Martin is an interesting character because he falls in that gray area of literary text where his obsession with pure, unadulterated science leads him to become a person of questionable moral character. Over the course of the book, readers experience a wealth of conflicting emotions concerning Martin. At first, his commitment to science seems admirable. He just wants to learn all that can be known. Then, his arrogance shows up in med school when he criticizes and taunts his fellow classmates because they aren't as "pure" as him in his devotion to the craft. He doesn't want to make money; he just wants to study. In his romantic pursuits, however, he finds that he needs money to support a wife and family, so he tries to alter his modus operandi. He gets engaged to two women simultaneously, a despicable move by any standard. Leora, the one he marries, is a desperately selfish woman who directly pushes him away to embrace his carnal desires. She, in turn, draws out his own deeply jealous nature.
After years and years, two marriages, and multiple kids, Martin proves once and for all that science is his one and only true love. He leaves his second wife and kids to accept a research position far away, and works there until his death. Randomly throughout his life, Martin makes decisions which seem to be selflessly and righteously motivated, but they may not be enough to make up for his loathsome personality the rest of the time. Readers may still admire his pure commitment -- however obsessive and twisted -- to science. Lewis manages to thoroughly confuse his audience in his depiction of a man who actually follows through on a complete devotion to something. What would it look like if people actually chose something or someone to which they perfectly devote their lives?
