Set in the small town of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, the Main Street takes place in the 1910s, with references to the start of World War I, the United States' entry into the war, and the years following the end of the war, including the start of Prohibition. It relates the life and struggles of Carol Milford Kennicott as she comes into conflict with the small-town mentality of the residents of Gopher Prairie.

Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) was an American writer and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. He is best known for his novels Main Street, Babbitt, Arrowsmith, and It Can't Happen Here. His works are known for their critical views of American capitalism and materialism in the interwar period. He is also respected for his strong characterizations of modern working women.