# Sam Clark — Main Street character guide > Sam Clark in Main Street by Sinclair Lewis. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Clark, Samuel **First appearance:** 0007-v ## Snapshot A genial hardware dealer and Kennicott's boon companion, whose easy laughter and booster optimism make him the town's most likable conformist. ## Who they are Sam Clark is the kind of man everyone in Gopher Prairie counts as a friend — a back-slapping merchant who sings at the Kennicotts' piano and believes wholeheartedly in the town's bright future. His warmth is genuine, but it comes bundled with an unexamined loyalty to the status quo that quietly baffles Carol. He represents the comfortable, decent face of the conformity she cannot quite hate or escape. ## Relationships ### [Carol Kennicott](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/characters/carol_kennicott) _social_ Sam Clark is the genial hardware store owner and a pillar of the community, with whom Carol has a cordial but conventional acquaintance. ### [Carol Kennicott](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/characters/carol_kennicott) _social_ Sam Clark is the genial hardware store owner and a pillar of the community, with whom Carol has a cordial but conventional acquaintance. ### [Carol Kennicott](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/characters/carol_kennicott) _social_ Sam Clark is the genial hardware store owner and a pillar of the community, with whom Carol has a cordial but conventional acquaintance. ## In the story ### [Main Street](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/main-street) A prominent hardware store owner and booster of Gopher Prairie. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned by Kennicott as a hardware man and a good hunting companion, emblematic of the town's solid citizens. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iii) One of the first townspeople to greet Carol, representing the booster spirit of Gopher Prairie. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iii) Drives the couple home, introduces himself warmly, and jokes with Carol. ### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iv) Bids goodbye to Carol and Kennicott as they enter their home. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ii) His hardware store is mentioned as part of Carol's survey of Main Street. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iv) Sam hosts the party and tries to make Carol feel welcome, acting as a jovial host. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/v) Greets Carol warmly, embodying the friendly but conventional townsman. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iii) Hosted the party at his residence with his wife. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/i) Mentioned as one of the householders putting up storm windows. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as being cordial to Carol during her shopping. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/viii) Involved in the dramatic association as a community member, representing the town's conventional mindset. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as an example of loyalty, but Carol notes that such friendliness is not unique to Gopher Prairie. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iv) Sam Clark hails Carol on her way to market and invites her and Kennicott to visit. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/xi) Involved in the production, representing the town's practical but uncreative mindset. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/xv) Sam Clark participates in the dramatic association but represents the town's preference for familiar, unchallenging entertainment. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as a contrast to Kennicott regarding attitudes toward having children, and as a frequent recipient of Kennicott's land-deal talk. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/v) Sam is referenced as a symbol of Gopher Prairie's bulkiness and lack of mystery, contrasting with Carol's romantic expectations. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/i) Engages in jocose insults with Harry Haydock, dances, and supports Carol's idea for a dramatic club. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/xix) Engages in the dramatic association as a practical-minded community member. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/vi) Compared to the greatest manufacturer and cited as a kindly provincial. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/vii) Mentioned by Vida as working on the school board for better school ventilation. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iii) Sam Clark is among the townspeople eagerly anticipating Bresnahan's arrival and is part of the welcoming committee. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iv) Sam Clark is part of the fishing party, telling a long story about a Pullman porter. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/i) Sam Clark is one of the poker players, mechanically greeting Carol and reinforcing her sense of exclusion. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as discussing income tax avoidance with Will. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iv) His house serves as the model for the conventional home Kennicott desires. ### [Chapter XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/xxvii) Attends the play and represents the town's pragmatic viewpoint. ### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iv) Sam, as school board president, is sympathetic but ultimately unwilling to fight for Fern. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iii) Sam Clark is mentioned as one of the townspeople Carol appreciates for his neighborliness, contrasting with her disdain for the boosterism. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/i) Advocates for lynching the organizer, representing the town's patriotic and intolerant stance. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iii) Sam is mentioned as a representative of Gopher Prairie's efficiency, contrasted with the Washington men. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/i) Carol recalls his greeting and feels he cares more for her than anyone in Washington. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/ix) Carol remembers that Kennicott and Sam Clark had listened to her songs, and she feels a desire to reconnect with them. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/iii) Defends Carol's intelligence and potential to settle down. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/chapters/vii) Accompanies the Kennicotts on the duck hunt and insists Carol shot the mallard. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/characters/sam_clark - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/main_street_se/characters