Winesburg, Ohio: What is Anderson's Message?

After thoroughly analyzing the plethora of short stories or “mini”stories that join to create Winesburg, Ohio, a somewhat perplexing, yet innovative novel, I have hesitantly come to the conclusion that Sherwood Anderson has presented us with some form of unspeakable truth in the form of an almost unpromising jigsaw puzzle. Needless to say, this marvelous concoction of short stories that synthesize this enigma of a novel, if it is even that, serves to engage the reader in ultimately discovering the truths of humanity, which is initially introduced in the first story,“The Book of The Grotesque.” I think Sherwood Anderson was very clever in constructing such a collection of stories that can each individually stand on their own, but at the same time, can all be strung together in one coherent composition because of the fact that all the characters possess some connection to the town of Winesburg, Ohio.

Essentially, I think Anderson’s tactics arguably suit his purpose in carefully implying or suggesting certain ideologies about humanity and all that it entails, while still allowing room for judgments regarding each story’s basis. In effect, I think Anderson was consciously aware of the fact that this book is fairly difficult to decipher since it contains so many different symbols, images, patterns, and motifs such as the reference to the old man, hands, facial hair, youth, and light (to name a few), which represent some notion or concept.

Although Winesburg, Ohio contains an array of biblical allusions such as the old man (who may exemplify God) and the reappearing image of the garden and poisonous apples (which may signify the Garden of Eden), I think it’s very challenging to determine exactly what Anderson is getting at, much less what he’s inferring. In any case, I do believe that Anderson is somehow trying to bring to light the harsh realities of life, whether it’s isolation, love, mortality, illness, destiny, or even continued unhappiness. While I was reading this book, I came across a lot of hints that could indicate some form of epic realization or understanding of life through experience and acquired knowledge.

For instance, in “Adventure,” Anderson tells the story of a young girl of sixteen years, Alice Hindman, who falls madly in love with Ned Currie, a man who sweeps her off her feet. Despite the obvious fact that Alice is far too young and naïve to risk getting heartbroken by Ned, Alice firmly establishes her desire to remain with Ned forever, as he is her one and only true love. Almost predictably, Ned must move to Chicago for his job, leaving young and vulnerable Alice behind, where she is eventually forgotten by Ned as he creates a new life for himself. Years later when Alice turns 22, she must endure her father’s death, along with her broken heart over the fact that Ned has neglected her for so many years. However, these burdens do not thwart Alice’s determination to win Ned back, as she grows desperate to mitigate her expanding loneliness without Ned in her life. In her despair and hopelessness to find happiness and love, Alice becomes lost in this fantasy, but eventually, she reluctantly accepts the fact that she “must live and die alone, even in Winesburg” (101). I think this short story in the book clearly depicts the message that transpires throughout the whole book regarding the brutal truths of life, whether it is loneliness, the betrayal of our loved ones, or the culminating misery and sorrow that may lie within us.