Wineburg, Ohio

Wineburg, Ohio

Winesburg, Ohio, also known as the Book of Grotesque is a modern American classic by Sherwood Anderson. He came to be known as the “Father of Realism”, as he left his mark on literature, being the first one to portray authentic moments in American life. He tells the stories of many “faces” he saw in his dreams, describing their deeply moving lives filled with secrets. The twenty-one stories in the novel are united through the setting, Winesburg, and the main character, George Willard. The novel is character driven, and the stories have very weak plots. Winesburg is a small town, full of lonely characters whom Anderson calls “grotesques” because of their inability to express themselves and communicate with others. The readers notice immediately that the stories have a visible pattern. Each begins with a short introduction and continues with a flash-back, in which the author explains the cause of their trauma (inability to communicate). After recognizing their unspoken truth, the main character has an “adventure”, in which he or she experiences a moment of revelation. Sadly, however, the characters then return to their original ineffective state.

“Hands” is a very beautiful and one of the most acclaimed pieces by Anderson. This story revolves around a character called Wing Biddlebaum, who lives a solitary life in Winesburg after a tragedy in Pennsylvania. At one time, he was a charismatic teacher, who taught the students to dream. However, one day he is mistakenly believed to have harassed his students and was never able to teach again. He becomes a grotesque because of the confusion and fear caused by the incident. As many other characters, he reaches out to George Willard in an attempt to express himself. At the beginning Wing Biddlebaum is seen as a reclusive old man. Then, the story reveals his gift of being perceptive and passionate. In the end, he is woven into a fragile character, aching from his unfulfilled passion.

One of the adjectives that best describes Wing Biddlebaum is reclusive. Anderson often uses description of the character’s houses to provide insight into their personality. In this story, Wing Biddlebaum lives in a “small framed house” with a “half-decayed veranda”, thus revealing his isolation and “destroyed” (10) spirit. Small-framed houses have scarcity of light, hence suggesting that Biddleba...

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...e is like a priest who goes (prays?) through his rosary over and over again, so fast that he does not see where he is leading. Blinded, he loses the meaning of his existence, hence arousing an unexplainable aching in his soul.

Wing Biddlebaum, is an old man with a special quality who unfortunately carries out a reclusive life in Winesburg. Because of a tragic incident, he resigns on his passion of teaching people to dream. He suffers from this forfeited yearning, thus becoming spiritually alienated. At the moment of its publication, Winesburg, Ohio was seen as morally offensive. Many saw a bunch of mentally crippled individuals, rather than Anderson’s true message. The book is an attempt of the author to make society apprehend the harm caused by living out of one’s heart. In every one of Anderson’s characters, there are moments of an emotional truth; truth of passion, truth of fortune, truth of devotion, and so on... These truths might be a bit exaggerated, but only to make a lasting impact on readers to persuade reflection. There are many people who suffer from repressed emotions and if we get rid of them and be true to ourselves, we might be able to pursue greater happiness.