Child Labor In Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio

During the late 19th century, the effects of the Industrial Revolution in England had finally reached the United States. A high demand for domestic products resulted in the largest economic growth the country had ever seen. Hand labor was quickly replaced by far more efficient machines but at the cost of thousands of young children driving its industrious workforce (History.com Staff). Sherwood Anderson was one of these people, but his days of child labor did not stop him from achieving personal success. As time went on, Anderson rose to become a lucrative businessman who established a foothold in the manufacturing industry. At the height of his professional career, writing, what used to be his beloved hobby, eventually became a full-time job, and Anderson became an author (Badertscher). By drawing from the experiences of his own life, Anderson was able to communicate stories that were fictitious yet felt authentic.

The short story “Mother” concerns Elizabeth Willard, the mother of George Willard, Winesburg’s newsboy. She had wasted her life by not fulfilling any of her dreams and hopes George can grow up to do what she could not. One day, while walking through the hallways of the Old Willard House, the family hotel, Elizabeth eavesdrops on her husband, Tom, as he talks to George about his purpose in life. In a subtle case of irony, Tom advises George to make financial success his number one priority despite himself being rather lazy and unsuccessful. Horrified by what she has witnessed, Elizabeth attempts to murder Tom fearing their son could potentially value materialistic possessions over anything else. She stops when George tells her that he plans to leave Winesburg as soon as possible much to her delight. However, the story ends when both are unable to express their joys since they are embarrassed to do so