Winesburg, Ohio: My Personal Reflection

So........Winesburg, Ohio. Totally different from what I was expecting it to be. From the cover art to the somewhat bland name, I was beyond sure that this book was going to be about some slow paced story that revolved around a sad little town in the middle of nowhere. Was the setting actually in a remote, off the grid, unknown town? Yes. Was the story slow paced and bland? Not at all. If anything, the novel was subtly intense (if that’s even possible). This novel-or short story, depending on how one personally views it- was captivating in the way that it shed light on the idea that everyone has a "truth" that represents their life and why exactly they may be the person they are today. Within the writings of Winesburg, Ohio, these "truths" are what make each individual story teller some form of a grotesque. The word grotesque means "absurdly incongruous, in a ludicrous context"; the characters within this novel all seemed to be a part of some "ludicrous" situation that molded them into their current mental states and impacted the "truth" that represents their lives. Each character tells their story in way that makes them an individual representation of tragic beauty; their souls we're once beautiful and pure, however, these characters sadly each endured a form of tragedy that led to know one understanding them or their true intentions, except for one character, George Willard. George Willard serves as not only the protagonist of the novel (if it even actually has one.....no one will ever know) but also a sort of safe haven that these people can turn to when they feel the time has risen to let the world know of the experience that led to them to having the title of a "tragic beauty". George Willard magically grasps each "truth" that the people within Winesburg have while showing that the characters within this novel are not as alone as they might think. Willard himself represents some form of a “tragic beauty” in the sense that his soul has proven itself to be pure enough to genuinely listen to/understand the stories of the people in Winesburg, Ohio without any form of judgment. That critical free sense of understanding George Willard possess not only plays the role of a vital quality for someone to have but also a key aspect in clearly getting across the way a comforting outside source can help an individual express their purpose for an overall deeper meaning of that individual’s place in the world. George Willard helps to show the beauty in the “truths” of all the characters within Winesburg, but one specific character, whose “truth” made an undeniable impact on this novel as a whole, in my personal opinion, was that of Wing Biddlebaum. Wing Biddlebaum is a quiet, reserved, ex school teacher who has a deep fear of the powers his hands possess. Wing's one desire in life is to express his beliefs that the students he teaches can amount to greater things in life, and he does just that through his hands. Sadly, the positivity he wishes to shed through his hands are mistaken for pedophilic doings and Wing is forced to leave his old life behind while becoming a stranger to society. George Willard eventually swoops in and not only gets Wing to tell his story, but shows a genuine understanding for what Wing's been trying to say all along. Without the inclusion of George Willard in Wing's life, the "truth" this character possessed would've never been made clear. Winesburg, Ohio is a novel that makes one question their own "truth" in life along with the idea of whether or not people would understand their "truth" in the same way that they personally do. Without someone ever being there to allow individuals to reveal how their "truths" can shed wisdom on the world, members of society would slowly begin to hide behind their tragic beauties and soon become a part of their own version of a world like Winesburg. Ya feel me?