Winesburg OH
The women of Winesburg-who may not whine, else the author, Sherwood In his critical introduction to the 1919 edition of Winesburg, Ohio,an anthology of interlocking short stories by the American author SherwoodAnderson, the critic Irwin Howe noted that Anderson had often been accusedof "sentimentality" as an author, since the book's publication. Thischarge might seem particularly applicable to the women of Winesburg, whomare largely seen as virtuous daughters and wives, or conventionally daringwomen of ill repute with hearts of gold. It could be alleged that, in theface of such allegations, Anderson shows flashes, however brief, of aunique cognizance of the problems that women face because of societalconstructions of femininity-in other words, how women suffer because of howsociety expects them to behave as mothers, daughter, and spinsters. Butthese flashes, within the context of the short stories of Winesburg, areonly flashes, and ultimately the women come to conventional, rather than The first extended female portrait of the tales revolve around one ofthe mothers of Winesburg, Elizabeth Willard, whom "like a chambermaid," is
Although the men surelysuffer as well, it is usually because of personal and financial setbacks,or misfortunes in their personal ethics and careers, rather than theirchildren's foibles. At first,one is hopeful upon reading the nearly feminist tone to the beginning ofthe longest tale in Winesburg, Ohio. "Even though I die I will keep defeat from you," (1) she vows to her son,linking her destiny with her child as well, in a way that her husband doesnot. "Perhaps he has begun to walk about with girls," she muses. But familiar relationships always parallel femaleemotional states-for instance, the communication between the son George andhis mother is called a "formal thing," highlighting the woman's ownformality. Of course, this may be due to the fact that theother girls and boys of Winesburg do not value her intellectualaccomplishments-if they did, and society viewed her studiousnessdifferently, she might regard her budding intellect more positively. (2) Of course, one could allege that Anderson is merely depicting andencapsulating societal attitudes, rather than confirming them. Her true, adolescent and feminine impulse is to bemarried, like other girls. Althoughapparently unconventional to some readers of the time, ultimately theportraits of these women are, if not sentimental, than very much of aparticular and constructed view of women, in the author's eyes, as well asin the eyes of the society he portrays. (1) In the Norton Critical Edition of Criticism, critics such as theAnonymous author (164) upbraid the author for the "sordid" nature of thesetales of Winesburg. "She has anerve," he muses, as this lowborn innkeeper's daughter offers herself tohim in a later story, named after the young woman. (1)"You think you're better than I am,"Louise says bluntly. Elizabeth dreads being seen by guests, because the housewas once "run by her father," when it was in better condition, again, muchlike herself. com/Sherwood_Anderson/Winesburg_Ohio/MOTHER_concerning_Elizabeth_Willard_p1.
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Acceptance Essays
