Book review: Winesburg, Ohio

by; Win Right D. Ambasa

Introduction

Winesburg, Ohio is a town whose inhabitants, living in the early 20th-century Midwest, ache for fulfillment, passion, and meaning, and the way their stories are told by the great Sherwood Anderson never goes out of style. The collection starts with the story “The Book of the Grotesque.” An ailing old writer is contemplating his life, all the people he knew, and the “notions” they all had in their heads about life. He has written a book about them, but it hasn’t been published. But we, the readers, get to read it anyway in the haunting chapters that follow (and which go back to what might be called “the beginning,” though the book does not really follow any chronological order–it is not going to be confined that way). “It was the truths that made the people grotesques, “Anderson writes. “The old man had quite an elaborate theory concerning the matter. It was his notion that the moment one of the people took one of the truths to himself, called it his truth, and tried to live his life by it, he became a grotesque and the truth he embraced became a falsehood.” The rest of the revealing narratives revolve around “Hands,” “The Teacher,” “The Thinker,” “Loneliness,” “A Man of Ideas,” “The Philosopher,” “The Strength of God” and more. These people are farmers, store keepers, newspaper writers, wives, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, and preachers. They all reside in a small town circa 1919, but these stories are timeless.

The stories are told in third person, but are related through the narrative voice of George Willard, the town reporter, who shows up in most of the tales, sometimes taking an active role and at other times just telling a story. Who better to keep tabs on the townspeople then the young reporter who captures everything in his trusty notebook?Andersonnever lets the reader know if George is the old man from the first chapter, so we are left to decide for ourselves if he ever became a “real” writer, which was his dream–George, as others, exercises big dreams in his head. He does not have any easy life. His parents own a shabby hotel and have a terrible relationship with one another. His mother ends up being a recluse in her 40s (much older than it is now), never leaving her room. A couple of the chapters focus on her and how she loves her son but is powerless to express herself as she chooses.Anderson, though capturing the male psyche well (somewhat expected), does a great service to women and his depiction of them. One character was not suited for motherhood and Anderson is brutally honest about how that would play out in a time when that’s what women were expected to do.

There are a few “loose” women and several who are wound up tight, but they are all fascinating. Anderson lures the reader straight into these characters’ heads, engrossing us, making us feel empathy, anger, pity, elation, and scorn for these characters (insert your own emotion when you read it). I will never forget the frustration I felt for the young female character who waits ten years for a man (who readers know to be something of a snake oil salesman) to come back to her, putting her life on hold, having taken his promise seriously. The story of the preacher who spends hours peeping at a neighbor who reads in bed, just for the chance of a glimpse of white skin, is also excruciatingly painful to read. These are but two examples of the complex characters Anderson draws.

When the book was published in 1919, it was considered a scandalous piece of trash by many critics, and as with many revolutionary writers, appreciation of their work took some time. The themes include physical longing (and hints of premarital sex), a male teacher getting fired on suspicion of pedophilic behavior, unwed women having children, violence, the use of alcohol in excess (and a man’s strange connection with a young girl in the midst of that state), a religious zealot who considers making a bizarre sacrifice to God, and other social issues that weren’t discussed as freely then. But Anderson was telling his own truths, and the reader will not doubt at any time that these people were certainly based on real characteristics he encountered. His superb collection of characters is a relevant and insightful study of human behavior, and the book is one that deserves to live on.

Characterization

the old writer

The main character of the prologue, "The Book of the Grotesque". The old writer dreams of grotesque figures while in bed because his fear of a heart attack makes him feel more alive. The living passion inside of him is described as a young woman. His figures try to possess absolute truths which destroy them. The implication is that the rest of the tales are created by the old writer around the figures he has imagined.

the carpenter

Hired by the old writer to raise his bed, he fought in the Civil War. He looks ridiculous crying over a brother who died at the Andersonville Prison. He is noted as the first grotesque character of the book.

 

Wing Biddlebaum

Wing's former name before moving to Winesburg was Adolf Myers. As a schoolteacher, he had expressed his fervor to the boys he taught through his hands. His actions twisted by a boy of the town and he was condemned and driven out. In Winesburg, he tries to hide his hands and is viewed by the town as a novelty act. George Willard is the only person in Winesburg Wing feels somewhat comfortable expressing himself to.

George Willard

The hero of the book, George is the only character who is woven through most of the stories. He acts like a medium of communication to the figures he encounters, allowing them to express their desires, thoughts, etc. Many figures seek him out as the only person in Winesburg to whom they can release their pent up frustrations and emotions. Several stories also center around George and his attempts to find love and mature into a man. He works as a reporter at the age of eighteen for the Winesburg Eagle. This brings him into close contact with the townspeople as he searches for stories. He wants to be a writer and finally decides to leave Winesburg for the city after his mother's death.

Doctor Reefy                   

The Doctor marries a young wealthy girl who comes to him pregnant. He writes his thoughts down on scraps of paper and shoves them into his pockets where they form balls of truth. As the truth is believed to be absolute, it must be destroyed and he begins again. After his wife's death, he sits in his old office all day and thinks. Years earlier, he had a brief love affair with Elizabeth Willard. The two were similar souls who could meet and find release for their emotions and dreams.

Elizabeth Willard

George's mother, Elizabeth owns the New Willard House but she is worn out and drab. An illness took the life out of her, though she had been passionate in youth and still retains some life inside. She and George have a deep bond which is rarely expressed. She nearly kills Tom Willard for pressing George to be ambitious and hopes that George will be able to express meaning for both of them. She had a brief love affair with Doctor Reefy. The two were similar souls who could meet and find release for their emotions and dreams.

 

Tom Willard

George's father, Elizabeth married him against her father's wishes. Tom is proud and ashamed of his wife. He is proud to be the leading Democrat in a Republican town. He hopes that his son will wake up from his dreaminess and approach the world with ambition so he can succeed like Tom has convinced himself he has.

 

Abner Groff

The baker, he has a daily struggle with a cat who sneaks into his shop. Groff, known for his fits of anger, throws the cat out and swears. It makes Elizabeth Willard weep because she empathizes with the cat.

 

Dr. Parcival

This Doctor has a practice in Winesburg with few patients but plenty of money. He cares very little for his appearance or what he eats. He seeks George out regularly to tell him stories about himself and try to convince him to be a superior being like his brother. His philosophy is that all people are Christ and all are crucified.

 

Biff Carter

Biff owns the Lunch Room where much of the town eats. Parcival tells Biff to give him any of the food that is left over or that he otherwise would not be able to sell.

 

Will Henderson

Editor-in-chief of the Winesburg Eagle, he is George's boss. Most afternoons he leaves the office for Ed Griffith's saloon. He rarely wakes up early but does the day of George's departure.

 

 

 

 

Louise Trunnion

Louise sends George a letter saying she will be his girlfriend if he wants her. She is cold when he replies in person but then walks with him. With Louise, George tries to act like a man and is very satisfied with himself.

 

Jake Trunnion

Louise's father, he is partially deaf. Louise must clear her walking with Jake before she can leave the kitchen to meet George.

 

Shorty Crandall

He is the man George speaks to after his affair with Louise Trunnion. He is the clerk of West's Drug Store.

 

Jesse Bentley

Jesse is Tom Bentley's weak son who must be called in to run the farm after his four strong sons are killed in the Civil War. Jesse is feminine in appearance but strong in spirit and runs the farm very hard. He allows his wife to work too hard and his father to retreat and die. He believes he has a connection to God, having trained to be a minister in the city, and runs about asking God for preference and strength. He wants a son but gets a daughter and is saddened to never connect with God. As he gets older, he buys more farm land and uses modern machinery to make it more efficient. When his grandson, David, comes to live with him, he believes his prayers have been answered and tries to use the boy to gain God's favor. Going too far, David finally runs away.

 

Enoch Bentley

One of Jesse's brother, Enoch almost killed his father in a barroom brawl. Once he knows his father is fine, he acts as if nothing ever happened. He is killed in the Civil War.

 

Tom Bentley

Jesse's father, old Tom is a coarse, strong farmer. He is forced to allow Jesse to run the farm after the war and retreats to the background in his presence to die.

 

Katherine Bentley

Jesse's wife, Katherine is a delicate woman from the city not fit for the demands of life on the farm. She works hard to try to please Jesse and strains herself. She dies after giving birth to their daughter, Louise.

 

Enoch Bentley

One of Jesse's brother, Enoch almost killed his father in a barroom brawl. Once he knows his father is fine, he acts as if nothing ever happened. He is killed in the Civil War.

 

Albert Hardy

The father in the family Louise is sent to live with, Albert was a stickler for education. He would use Louise's accomplishments to try to guilt his daughters into doing better but it always backfired.

 

Mary Hardy

One of the Hardy daughters who hated school, Mary has a gentleman caller come visit her. Louise Bentley witnesses this event, causing her to relate love to sex.

 

Joe Welling

An agent for the Standard Oil Company in Winesburg, Joe lived with his mother and suffered from verbal seizures. He was silent and polite except when his outbursts hit. He then would pounce on the nearest bystander and and spew on them a flood of words concerning some ludicrous theory he had thought up. He felt he should have George Willard's job. After his mother died, he moved into the New Willard House, began a love affair, and formed the Winesburg Baseball Club, coaching them to victory.

 

Sarah King

Joe Welling's love interest, she is a sullen women who lived with her father and brother. The town laughed at her affair with Joe, especially at his loud love protestations to Sarah.

 

Edward and Tom King

Sarah's father and brother, respectively, the men had a bad reputation and were thought to be dangerous. They have a meeting with Joe at the New Willard House which the town awaited anxiously. Joe wins them over with one of his verbal seizures.

 

Alice Hindman

As a girl, she had a love affair with Ned Currie and he promised to marry her. He left town and never came back but she was unable to give her body to anyone else and so lived in waiting and loneliness for years. She became so isolated she would talk to herself. She worked at the Dry Goods Store to keep busy and finally at twenty-five, joined some social and religious organizations. At twenty-seven, she was so restless for companionship, she ran outside naked. Finally she accepted being alone forever.

 

Ned Currie

Alice's lover when she is young, Ned promises to protect her but then makes love to her before he leaves. Even though he promises to return, he moves to Cleveland and then Chicago and makes new friends and lovers. Alice never forgets him or her loyalty to him because of the night they spent together before he left.

 

Will Hurley

A middle-aged man, Will walks Alice Hindman home from the Methodist Church meetings. He is a clerk at the drug store. Alice wants to befriend him for companionship but never knows how to ask him to stay after walking her home.

 

Wash Williams

An ugly bloated man, like a monkey, Wash hates the people of Winesburg, especially women. He tells George the story of his wife's betrayal so that George will not make the same mistake. His wife took three lovers during their marriage before he sent her home. He wanted to take her back until, while visiting her house, her mother sends her to him naked. He tries to kill her mother but is stopped.

 

Belle Carpenter

A strong dark woman, Belle loves Ed Handby, a bartender. She walks out with George Willard to make Ed suffer and to release her suppressed sexuality, often causing George to feel used though he does not know why. Belle finally goes off with Ed, which is what she wanted the most.

 

Seth Richmond

A quiet, intense boy, the town believes he is very deep like his father was. Yet Seth wishes he was able to feel excited or impassioned. He is frustrated by the amount people talk and how little they do, especially his friend George Willard who wants him to talk to Helen White for him. He feels isolated from town life so decides to go to a city where he can work. By trying to impress Helen with his ambition, he succeeds in pushing her away and is confused when she walks home without him.

Plot

The first, entitled "Hands," describes Wing Biddlebaum, a recluse with remarkable hands that he cannot control, who has fled from false accusations of molesting a boy in another town. The second, "Paper Pills," is about Doctor Reefy, an aging medical man who marries one of his young patients, only to have her die six months later. In the third, "Mother," we meet Elizabeth Willard, the mother of the book's central character, George Willard, who is a young reporter for the local paper. Elizabeth is a sick woman, trapped in an unhappy marriage, and she imagines herself locked in a struggle with her husband for influence over George.

In the next story, "The Philosopher," the eccentric Doctor Parcival imagines that a lynch mob is after him, and tells George Willard the secret of life: "Everyone in the world is Christ and they are all crucified." In "Nobody Knows," George goes out into the fields and sleeps with a girl named Louise Trunnion, only to feel guilty about it afterward. The next four stories, all lumped under the heading "Godliness," depict Jesse Bentley, a wealthy farmer who imagines himself a Biblical figure chosen by God. His daughter, Louise Bentley, receives no love from him, and stumbles into a loveless marriage. Her son, David Hardy, is sent to live with his grandfather on the old man's farm, and Jesse takes the boy out into the forest in search of a message from God. He finds no message, however, and succeeds only in traumatizing the boy so much that David runs away from Winesburg forever.

In "A Man of Ideas," the next story, a talkative man named Joe Welling successfully courts a woman whose father and brother are notorious thugs. The following story, "Adventure," depicts the loneliness of Alice Hindman, an unmarried woman whose true love (as she considers him) left Winesburg years ago and has never returned. "Respectability" portrays Wash Williams, the filthy, ugly telegraph operator in Winesburg who despises women because of his wife's infidelity and his mother-in-law's treachery. "The Thinker," tells the story of a brooding young man named Seth Richmond who feels that he does not belong in Winesburg. At the end of a long evening with Helen White, the daughter of the Winesburg banker, he tells her that he plans to leave town for good.

"Tandy" tells the story of a little girl named Tandy Hard whose first name comes from a drunken man's description of the perfect woman. In "The Strength of God," a minister named Curtis Hartman is tempted into lust by the sight of Kate Swift, a local schoolteacher. His temptation passes when he sees her, one snowy night, praying naked. "The Teacher" takes place on the same night, and depicts Kate Smith's attraction to George Willard--her simultaneous desires to teach and embrace him--and her sudden guilty flight from his office, which leaves him confused. "Loneliness" details Enoch Robinson's move from Winesburg to New York, where he populates his apartment with imaginary friends, only to have them move out when he tries to tell his female neighbor about them.

In "An Awakening," George Willard goes out walking one night and has what he thinks is an epiphany. He tries to tell Belle Carpenter, the girl he has been seeing, about it, but another one of her suitors beats him up, and the magic of the evening slips away. "Queer" depicts the resentment that Elmer Cowley, the son of a store owner, feels toward Winesburg and George Willard because he thinks that the town considers his family to be odd. The story ends with Elmer beating up George and hopping a train out of town. In "The Untold Lie," a farmhand named Hal Winters asks another farmhand named Ray Pearson for advice about whether to get married, causing Ray to reflect on his marriage, which he does with disgust. "Drink" portrays a genial, happy young man named Tom Foster and his first experience with drunkenness.

In "Death," Elizabeth Willard and Doctor Reefy spend time together and begin to fall in love, as she slips toward death. She dies, finally, and George decides to quit Winesburg forever. In "Sophistication," he and Helen White go out walking together on the night of the county fair, and run around like children as evening falls on Winesburg. Both are moving on from their small town, as Helen is going to college, and in the final story, "Departure," George Willard boards a train and leaves Winesburg for good, letting his life there "become but a background on which to paint the dreams of his manhood."

Art and Delivery

The tales throughout this book tell stories of human desires thwarted and human connections unrealized. The last thing that George Willard must learn as he leaves Winesburg to embark on his life as a writer is how to exist in such a world. In “Sophistication” George meets up with Helen White, a young woman he feels attracted to:   ‘George Willard sat beside Helen White and felt very keenly his own insignificance in the scheme of existence…. the two oddly sensitive human atoms held each other tightly and waited. In the mind of each was the same thought. “I have come to this lonely place and here is this other,” was the substance of the thing felt. The book is also significant historically for its place in the development of American realism and naturalism. Realism, which developed in France in the second half of the nineteenth century, emphasized the influence of social environment on characters. As realism developed, it shifted into naturalism, with an emphasis on impersonal social, economic, and biological forces on individuals. With its focus on the psychological and biological impulses of its characters, Anderson’s book illustrates the beginning of this shift. Here, for example, is the narrator’s description of Kate Swift in “The Teacher”:Day by day as she worked in the schoolroom or walked in the streets, grief, hope, and desire fought within her. Behind a cold exterior the most extraordinary events transpired in her mind. “If you are to become a writer you’ll have to stop fooling with words … You must not become a mere peddler of words. The thing to learn is to know what people are thinking about, not what they say”. Like the old writer whose tale opens the book, George must grow up while at the same time keeping the young thing inside him alive. To become a writer, he must learn to look beneath the surface of what people say to understand their inner thoughts and desires.

Final Verdict

The scene we find first though is one of release. The narrator is very vague because at this point it is especially important for the reader to draw their own conclusions and to focus on the human bond between Elizabeth Willard and Dr. Reefy. Take this sentence for instance: "On summer afternoons, when she had been married many years and when her son was a boy of twelve or fourteen, Elizabeth Willard sometimes went up the worn steps to Doctor Reefy's office." No specified day is given, the narrator is not accurate with how old George Willard is though he is a central figure to the book, and Elizabeth is described as "sometimes" visiting Dr. Reefy. Since we are told later how old Elizabeth is, it is possible to figure out George's age. So why be so intentionally vague? Is Anderson simply trying to reemphasize that the narrator is not omniscient? This kind of detail would be a pointless omission for the sake of characterizing the narrator. The narrator is so vague while telling this story because the specific details are not important

The reader must contemplate what it means for the heroic main character to leave. The stories feel more conclusive because of this action. It is not a static episode for the first real time in the book. George escapes the symmetry of the stories which cyclically return the reader to the start in some manner at the end of the episode. This story is not cyclical, but linear. The train pulls away from the station - it progresses - and George's mind, though focusing some on the people of Winesburg, departs toward his dreams. Winesburg will be a tableau, a background for him, as Anderson hoped it would be for the reader. The intention was for the readers to draw ideas to think about, not absolute truths.