Throughout the Industrial Revolution and well into the latter part of the twentieth century, Americans continued to idealize the small town as a sort of paradise. In their most nostalgic and romantic reflections, they often recall a time when individuals were hardworking and trustworthy, friendly and supportive, energetic and dedicated to the values of freedom and democracy, representing selflessness and a lack of materialism.

In Main Street, Lewis examined a small town that functioned as both a microcosm and a macrocosm, exposing the residents as being at odds with the values they professed to cherish. Lewis emphasizes this point in the novel's "Foreword," employing satire while echoing the sentiments of his peers: "Main Street is the climax of civilization... such is our comfortable tradition and sure faith. Would he not betray himself an alien cynic who should otherwise portray Main Street, or distress the citizens by speculating whether there may not be other faiths."

The attitudes in the fictional town of Gopher Prairie are shaped significantly by its geographic location. As Lewis points out, towns dispersed across the North American Great Plains plateau were almost entirely isolated from the wider world before the 20th century. During the period covered in the novel, from 1912 to 1920, automobiles were unreliable. They had thin, smooth tires that did not perform well in wet or snowy weather, and their basic engines were prone to frequent malfunctions, such as "carbon buildup," which are considered minor issues today.

Although telephone service within a town was dependable, the lines that ran along rural roads were delicate and vulnerable to weather conditions, making long-distance calls extremely costly. Due to this isolation, especially with winter travel being challenging, residents of prairie towns primarily exchanged ideas, biases, and knowledge among themselves, without much exposure to new concepts from other towns, major cities, or abroad.

Carol Milford Kennicott's primary struggles stem from her desire to forge a meaningful and fulfilling personal identity. She sees herself as an artist and is knowledgeable in several scientific areas, yet she finds it difficult to align her theories with her environment to form an identity she can fully embrace. In college, she is particularly interested in sociology, although she never formally pursues it as a career. While dining at a boarding house, she feels compelled to declare her artistic focus. Under the teasing of traveling salesmen, she impulsively claims "archaeology," a subject on her mind at the time but not truly representative of her enduring interests throughout the novel. She tries to establish a small theater company, but her fellow townspeople do not take it seriously, causing her to abandon the project in frustration. She joins a literature discussion group but finds it shallow, and she encourages Erik Valborg to pursue poetry, even though she knows he lacks talent.

The one identity Carol adamantly refuses to accept is the one society naturally assigns her: that of a Gopher Prairie society matron. She views the women in her social circle as either lacking or suppressing the intelligence, curiosity, and individuality she considers vital.

A significant part of Carol’s identity struggle comes from the fact that the housewife role she seeks to reject is closely linked with the "wife" identity she naturally embraces. Although Carol often sees Will Kennicott as dull and lacking ambition, there are moments, such as when she assists him during surgery at Adolph Morgenroth’s farm, where she holds him in high esteem. Her true identity is that of a caregiver: she demonstrates this by nursing Bea, her earnest efforts to support Fern Mullins, her enthusiasm in advising Erik Valborg, and her unwavering confidence in...