Winesburg, Ohio · Theme
The Grotesque
How Winesburg, Ohio develops The Grotesque.
Anderson defines grotesques as people who cling to a single truth and become distorted by it; the book's characters are twisted by their unexpressed desires, suppressed emotions, and failed attempts at communication, as introduced in 'The Book of the Grotesque.'
Where it surfaces
- Winesburg, Ohio
The old writer's dream introduces the concept of grotesques—people who have become twisted by holding onto a single truth.
- The Book of the Grotesque
The central concept of the chapter: people become grotesque when they adopt a single truth as absolute.
- Hands
Wing's hands are described as grotesque, and his entire personality is shaped by the trauma that made him an outcast.
- Respectability
Wash Williams is described as a monstrous figure, both physically and emotionally, embodying the grotesque.