# Theodore Roosevelt Babbitt — Babbitt character guide > Theodore Roosevelt Babbitt in Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Ted, Ted Babbitt, Little Theodore **First appearance:** 0000-chapter-i ## Snapshot George's motor-mad teenage son, all slang and tinkering and contempt for his father's poky evenings, secretly the old man's favorite companion. ## Who they are Ted builds racers out of tin and pine, roars off on his motorcycle with Eunice perched on the rumble seat, and tells anyone who'll listen that his father doesn't know there's any fun left in the world. Yet on a Pullman to Chicago the two of them light cigars and talk man-to-man, and Babbitt warms to a companionship he'd sacrifice anything for, if only he could be sure of proper credit. Ted represents the generational crack in the Babbitt façade. ## In the story ### [Chapter I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-i) Babbitt's son, who is indecisive about college and dreams of being a movie actor. Babbitt is frustrated with his lack of direction. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iii) Referenced indirectly as one of the family members whose wet towels Babbitt encounters. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iv) Ted is mentioned as indecisive about college and wanting to be a movie actor, causing Babbitt frustration. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-ii) Ted, a high school junior, bickers with Verona over the family car, flaunts his fashionable clothes, and shows a natural mechanical aptitude. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Teases his sister and argues over the use of the family car, embodying youthful rebellion and family conflict. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-iii) Mentioned in Babbitt's thoughts about his son's intimacy with Eunice Littlefield. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/i) Babbitt's son; mentioned in relation to his intimacy with Eunice Littlefield. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-vi) Debates the value of college and Shakespeare with his father, expresses desire for a new car, and rushes off to a chorus rehearsal. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iii) Enthusiastically reads correspondence course advertisements, dreams of being an aviator or going to China, and argues with his father about the value of traditional education. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iv) Subject of parental concern about his social life and moral guidance. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as likely to be out late. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xi) Ted is mentioned as having an infatuation with a waitress, and Babbitt plays catch with him and teaches him to fish. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/v) Ted is infatuated with a waitress, and Babbitt teaches him to cast a fly in Skowtuit Pond. ### [Chapter XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xii) Plays gentle back-lot catch with Babbitt. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as playing back-lot catch with Babbitt, very gentle and limited to ten minutes. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Requested to disappear to allow Babbitt to write. ### [Chapter XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xiv) Attends his father's campaign speech and comments on his ability to connect with the audience. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Drives the car after Babbitt's speech and admires his father's ability to engage the crowd. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iii) Briefly appears, joking with his father about the evening's formality. ### [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xvi) Babbitt explains his liberal theology to Ted, discussing Heaven and Hell. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iii) Babbitt recalls explaining his liberal views on Hell to his son Ted. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as the son Babbitt hopes will succeed him in his future bank. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/v) Babbitt lectures Ted on the value of church for conservatism and social advancement. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xviii) Rebellious and motor-mad, planning a high-school party and deepening his relationship with Eunice Littlefield. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/i) Ted is a high school senior struggling with Latin and English but excelling in manual training, basketball, and dance organization. He is motor-mad, tinkers with cars, and resists his father's plans for college and law school. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Hosts a sophisticated high-school party; defies his father's authority and is caught drinking; dances intimately with Eunice Littlefield. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iii) Ted vents to Eunice about his father's boring habits, showing generational frustration. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iv) Mentioned as causing Babbitt fear due to his slackness. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/v) Rebellious and mischievous, he teases his father and fills the differential with grease. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iii) Accompanies his father to Chicago, enjoys the trip, and shares a newfound camaraderie. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/i) Working in a garage for the summer, Ted relates his daily triumphs to his father before going to a dance with Verona. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iv) Babbitt wonders whether Ted will 'get busy' at university after his summer as a garageman. ### [Chapter XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xxvi) Now a freshman at the State University, he is more interested in sports and fraternities than academics, and asks to switch to engineering. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iii) Enters the State University as a freshman, focusing on sports and fraternities rather than academics; considers switching to engineering. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Has become suspiciously acquiescent about the State University, worrying Babbitt about his plans. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/i) Ted is briefly mentioned as successful in basketball at university, a point of pride Babbitt uses in conversation with Myra. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/v) Encourages his father's rebellion, calling him a 'liberal' and cheering him on. ### [Chapter XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xxxiii) Mentioned as possibly needing to come down from university due to his mother's illness. ### [Chapter XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xxxiv) Comes home from university, secretly marries Eunice Littlefield, and announces his intention to leave college for a factory job in mechanics. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/vi) Returns from university, secretly marries Eunice Littlefield, and faces family outrage but stands his ground. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/characters/ted_babbitt - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/characters