The Midlander

"The Midlander" by Booth Tarkington is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story explores the lives of the Oliphant brothers, Harlan and Dan, who represent contrasting personalities and social ideals against the backdrop of their affluent upbringing. The novel delves into themes of class, identity, and the negotiation of familial expectations as the brothers navigate their relationships and the societal pressures of their time. At the start of the novel, we are introduced to the Oliphant brothers and the stately family home they inhabit, which symbolizes the significance of wealth and social standing. Harlan is portrayed as the polished, aristocratic brother, while Dan is characterized as more carefree and socially adventurous, leading to tension and rivalry between them. The initial chapters depict a conflict between Dan and Harlan regarding their friend Sam Kohn, highlighting underlying themes of prejudice and class consciousness. As the story unfolds, it hints at deeper relational dynamics, familial expectations, and the brothers' individual journeys toward self-discovery. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Newton Booth Tarkington was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels The Magnificent Ambersons (1918) and Alice Adams (1921). He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once, along with William Faulkner, John Updike, and Colson Whitehead. In the 1910s and 1920s he was considered the United States' greatest living author. Several of his stories were adapted to film.