From the Lists: #24 Winesburg, Ohio

Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio (1919) is often referred to as the first modernist novel. More a short story cycle that a novel, the narrative  breaks free from the standard narrative form of protagonists and antagonists in linear narratives. Rather it is composed of short vignettes focusing on the lives people living in and around a small Midwestern town. The thread that holds the cycle together is young George Willard who works for the local newspaper. Since his job is to talk to the citizens of Winesburg, he becomes the holder of their secrets - both past and present.

While there have been hundreds, if not thousands of books about small town anywhere, what makes this books so memorable is that it bucks the romantic notion that small town life is a Mayberry-esque utopia. Instead, the residents of Winesburg have secrets and personal demons. Sherwood's small town is a place of extreme isolation where the smallest deviation from the norm is exaggerated until it comes to define you.  

Sherwood Anderson

Each story in Winesburg, Ohio focuses on a single resident, their history, and their current circumstances. Most of the stories begin with hopes of youth that are soon replaced with the disappointments of adult life. Whether it is the farmer who seeks divine intervention, the hotel keeper's daughter, the lustful minister, the banker's wife, the lonely music teacher, the soft spoken hermit, or our hero George Willard, the truths on which they base their lives eventually prove to be their downfall. As Sherwood states in the opening chapter: "It was the truths that made the people grotesques. The old man had quite an elaborate theory concerning the matter. It was his notion that the moment one of the people took one of the truths to himself, called it his truth, and tried to live his life by it, he became a grotesque and the truth he embraced became a falsehood."

"... Down the middle of the street? Naked?

As if it were not enough that their disappointment in discovering their heartfelt beliefs about themselves were false, add the judging eyes of their neighbors. Whether actual or paranoid delusion, it is the judgement of their peers that acts to amplify the characters' shame and isolation. Imagine Clara and Aunt Bee sitting together over a piece of pie, gossiping about peeping tom ministers, accused pedophiles, pregnant teens, depressed housewives, or young adults dying to leave for the big city? 

People talk of cities as being places that grind you down, where people are dishonest and crime is rampant, But, in the city it is easier to put aside our failures, dust ourselves off, and move on with our lives. Our odd behaviors are not as noticeable in a large crowd. Sheer numbers almost guarantee that no matter how different we are, we will find someone with the same thoughts or beliefs. The city, after all affords us a bit of anonymity. Unlike Winesburg, Ohio, where everyone knows our shame and there are no second chances.

Recommendation
Although my personal experience of growing up in a small town "may" have colored my opinions about the book, it was reminiscent of Spoon River Anthology (1915). The stories are short and the writing is tight, however it does read a bit like an adult bedtime story. The language reminds me of parables or fables where the lesson is always "Do not be too rigid in your thoughts about your life and how it will turn out. It will always be different that imagined. And, whether it is a success of a failure,  others will define you as they wish, regardless of how much effort you make to define yourself." Not a particularly uplifting thought.

Next up: #23 The USA Trilogy by John Dos Passos