Winesburg, Ohio: A Guide to

Unhealthy Relationships

By: Aaron Fletcher

     Everyone has a story in the town of Winesburg. Some of those stories show the reader why a character acts a certain way, others detail a joyful and adventurous soul underneath a stone exterior. The reader gets to see all of this, but the only resident of Winesburg who hears the stories of those around him is George Willard, the reporter for the local newspaper. In fact, there’s little to no communication in the town of Winesburg unless it involves George. The relationships between the residents are often emotionless and based upon physical attraction, only lasting as long as they do because of sexual interaction. Basically, sexual interaction is the only relationship the residents have with anyone. The lack of communication and emotional expression in Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio leads to ineffectual and shallow relationships based upon sex and sexual attraction.

     The lack of communication within Winesburg can be traced back to Gendered Codes and Rules, put in place during the nineteenth century, which divide the social spheres of men and women. These guidelines were called the Doctrine of Separate Spheres. The Doctrine of Separate Spheres was an Ideology in the mid-nineteenth century that came about because of the changing family structures and the bifurcation of gender roles. Popular literature during this time period, 1820 to 1860, reinforced separate spheres. It was widely accepted that the man was supposed to be the “Breadwinner” and women were to tend to the spiritual, emotional, physical, and moral needs of the family. The women were supposed to stay at home and “redeem men and the world”, therefore becoming the “Angel in The House”. Because of these guidelines, men and women lived in entirely different worlds when it came to their social life. This caused different ideas of what a “man” and a “woman” should be. The accepted ideas for what a woman should be was called “The Cult of True Womanhood”. The Cult of True Womanhood was based upon a set of cardinal virtues that every woman was supposed to have. These virtues were piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. All of these things were intended to keep a woman in her “proper sphere”. Men were supposed to go out and work hard to earn money for the family. The man of the household was to take care of the financial needs of his family and estate. He was allowed to be out among the town and taking part in various social activities because, after all, it was the “big, scary, world of men” beyond the door of the household. The Doctrine of Separate Spheres was beginning to break down by the time period in which Winesburg, Ohio is set in, but the remnants of these guidelines were very much alive. This caused the men and women of Winesburg to barely communicate, therefore not knowing how to express how they felt towards each other.

     The lack of communication caused by these powerful social doctrines between men and women in Winesburg leads to misunderstandings. Among these misunderstandings is the want of connection or emotional sincerity being mistaken for sexual attraction. In the Chapter titled “Surrender”, Louise Bentley’s story is called “a story of misunderstanding” (45). Louise was living with the Hardy’s while she was in school. Albert Hardy had two daughters, Mary and Harriet, and a son, John (45). The daughters were not as interested or proficient as Louise in their studies. In fact, they mocked Louise for her focus on education (45-47). Louise became so lonely due to the coldness she received from the girls that she would seclude herself to her room. This was where she began to think of befriending John Hardy (47). Louise wanted something “warm and close” that had “no conscious connection with sex” (48). She chose John because “he was at hand and … had not been unfriendly to her.” (48). Louise had noticed the Hardy girl’s attention to men and sex, and eventually she had taken John to be her lover. Louise didn’t want a lover, but John had assumed this was what she wanted (49-50). During their marriage, Louise consistently tried to tell John how she really felt. But John always found her attempt to talk about her feelings as a consent to sex, attempting to kiss her and make love to her (51). While the story of Louise is one of the most powerful examples of misunderstanding, there are also many others. Such as the relationship between Kate Swift and George Willard.

     When Kate Swift tries to “blow on the spark” that she had seen in George Willard in the chapter titled “The Teacher”, George assumes her passionate grabbing of his shoulders and hand and her kiss upon the cheek is a display of sexual attraction (97). In reality, Kate wanted to “Open the door of life” to George (98). She just felt so strongly about this, and was so eager to enlighten George that her passion was released through physical touch (98). Within the last lines of the chapter, George says “I have missed something. I have missed something Kate Swift was trying to tell me” (99). He missed that Kate was attempting to connect with him on a level far beyond that which can be reached physically.

     Yet another misunderstanding occurs in the chapter “Death”. Elizabeth Willard is deathly ill and visiting Doctor Reefy (136). The two begin talking about their lives. Elizabeth talked especially about her failing marriage that struck down her adventurous spirit. Elizabeth married Tom Willard only for the reason that he was available and wanted to marry at the same time the notion came in her mind (137-138). While Elizabeth is talking about her want to escape her marriage, Doctor Reefy takes her in his arms and begins passionately kissing her. Elizabeth tries to finish her story, but The Doctor just mutters “You Dear! You lovely dear! Oh you lovely dear!” (140). This shows that Doctor Reefy completely missed the emotional connection Elizabeth was so desperately seeking.

     These misunderstandings cause the actual desire of the individual to be overlooked. Instead, any sort of emotional expression attempted is viewed as sexual attraction. Louise Bentley wanted a friendship, a way to escape the loneliness that she received out of the coldness from the Hardy Girls. But the only warmth she had witnessed came from the Hardy girls’ passionate encounters with men. Louise didn’t know what she was feeling, therefore she thought she had to make love to get the warmth she desired. This lead to a marriage that has no sort of emotional connection, but is filled with sexual interaction. Kate Swift just wants George to realize the amount of potential he has. Kate is so eager to do this that the only way her passion is released is physically. George takes this as her being sexually attracted to him and tries to invoke a sexual relationship. Elizabeth Willard is coming to her death, she feels lost and wants someone to talk to about how pointless her marriage and life has been. Doctor Reefy is available to her so she releases all of her emotions on to him. Doctor Reefy takes this release of emotion as a want of some sort of passionate relationship with another human being. Each of these tales have something in common, and that something is the misunderstanding between two people.

     Even connections in Winesburg that aren’t built upon misunderstandings can be based upon sex. This attention to sex often leads to insincere and ineffectual relationships. The story of Louise Bentley is again a perfect example. Louise wants a connection with someone, so she seeks out the friendship of the only man she has ever interacted with, John Hardy (47). Louise hadn’t seen any sort of interaction between a man and a woman that wasn’t sexual. She was always seeing the Hardy Sisters spending time with men, and she even witnessed a very heated encounter between Mary Hardy and a man in the parlor (49). Louise then seeks out John as her lover, eventually ending up in a marriage built on a foundation of sexual interaction without the support of an emotional connection (50-51). Louise didn’t know of any connection other than that of the physical kind due to the importance of sex in Winesburg, Ohio. This leads her to fall victim to a relationship in which she has no satisfaction, physically or emotionally.

     Another instance of a relationship failing occurs in the chapter “Respectability”. In this chapter, we are told the story of why Wash Williams has become so misogynistic. Wash was married to a beautiful young woman, and he truly loved her (71). He felt a strong emotional connection to her that is not seen in any other relationship in Winesburg thus far. After being married to this woman for two years, Wash discovered that she had three lovers that came to their house while he was away at work. Wash sent her away and gave her the money that he acquired from selling the house (71). Soon after, the woman’s mother asked Wash to go to the woman’s home in Dayton. The mother sat Wash in the parlor and, while he was sitting there, he realized that he truly wanted his wife back (72). When Wash’s wife finally entered, she “came into the room naked” (72). He says that “her mother did that … she was taking the girl’s clothes off” (72). The mother did this in an attempt to make Wash and his wife reconcile over sex. Wash was outraged by this, taking a chair and striking the mother with it (72). Wash Williams truly is plagued more than most by the emphasis that is placed upon sex in Winesburg. Wash loses someone he truly loves because of sex, and, as a result of his loss, becomes bitter and hateful towards women.

     The story of Louise Bentley shows us that the emphasis placed upon sex in Winesburg can be used to force people into unwanted relationships. Louise didn’t know that she had to feel something other than physical to be happy with someone, at least at the time she didn’t. Wash Williams’ story shows us that even if there is an emotional connection in a relationship, sex can ruin that. And the mother of Wash’s wife further proves that there is a strong importance placed upon sex that completely overlooks the intangible connection that is needed in a successful relationship.

     Even though the relationships in Winesburg, Ohio seem completely hopeless, there is still a way in which some of the damage done can be repaired. The only way to repair this damage, caused by the lack of communication between the residents of Winesburg, is for their relationships to become more Egalitarian. In the chapter “Tandy” a new characteristic is invented by a drunken man that comes to the town of Winesburg in an attempt to sober up. This man describes Tandy as “the quality of being strong to be loved” (84). This quality, according to the drunkard, can only be achieved when someone has suffered many defeats. But, the person accepts these defeats and grows and learns from them (84). In Winesburg, Ohio every character is seeking to be “Tandy”. But, the only two that actually achieve this characteristic are George Willard and Helen White.

     George and Helen achieve Tandy in “Sophistication”. In this chapter, we are told of an evening after the county fair which George Willard and Helen White spend together. This evening is spent in near silence between the two. In the presence of Helen, George feels “his own insignificance in the scheme of existence” (149). George wants to “love and be loved” by Helen while also not being “confused by her womanhood” (149). The young couple kissed, but didn’t feel compelled to continue embracing each other in such a physical way (150). The two continue actions such as this, finally coming to a point in which they stop kissing and stand apart. A “mutual respect grew big” between the two at this moment (150). They become embarrassed, but embrace that embarrassment and drop “into the animalism of youth” (150). The two begin to play in a childlike manner, but during this they seem to escape the roles put upon them by society. They are described as becoming “not man and woman, not boy and girl, but excited little animals” (150). After their time of play, George and Helen begin to go home. In reflection of the events that occurred that evening, the two realize that the thing they so desperately needed was what they received in their time together. The powerful last line of “Sophistication” reads: “Man or boy, woman or girl, they had for a moment taken hold of the thing that makes the mature life of men and women in the modern world possible” (150). This “thing” that George and Helen achieved in their evening of silent play is Tandy, the ability to love and be loved. In order to do this, the young couple had to escape what was expected of them from society. They were no longer male and female; they were two people enjoying themselves in the time they had together. They weren’t focused on any kind of physical interaction, they didn’t even care what the other looked like at the time. In that evening after the county fair, George Willard and Helen White found a connection that was far beyond anything tangible could provide. George and Helen achieved Tandy, the secret behind a happy and effective relationship.

      Everyone has a story in the town of Winesburg. Many tell of some broken past or failed relationship. But one story gives us hope as to what two people together can achieve. Some of the lingering Gendered Codes and Rules cause communication across the boundary of gender to be difficult. When this boundary is not crossed and intentions are not clearly expressed, misunderstandings occur. With these misunderstandings comes a focus on sex. All of this leads to a book full of failed relationships called Winesburg, Ohio. But, we are also given hope from Sherwood Anderson with the interaction between George Willard and Helen White in “Sophistication”. The only true way to be happy in a relationship is to take on the quality of being Tandy. George and Helen achieve this so perfectly when they escape the expectations of society and be themselves. Whether man, woman, or somewhere in between, everyone is looking for something. This something, is to love and to be loved. This something is Tandy.

 

Works Cited

Anderson, Sherwood. Winesburg, Ohio. New York: Dover, 1995.