Book of the Grotesque

            Winesburg, Ohio is an example of Sherwood Anderson’s criticism revolving around the idea of truth and the inability to break the notion of what absolute truth is and means, pertaining to an individual. The first chapter in the novel, ‘The Book of the Grotesques’, sets a tone for the rest of the novel that highlights this fact. Anderson portrays the idea of a grotesque as not necessarily negative, as all truths are not bad, yet he does maintain that one must inevitably break free of their higher truth to achieve individualism and further advancements in personal expression and ultimately ‘freedom’. ‘The Book of the Grotesques’ cements the tone for the rest of the novel and establishes truth a major focal point of Anderson’s social criticism.

            To understand how Anderson sets up the idea of truth and how what alternative he presents to this notion, one must first understand how he defines one who clings to the truth. He refers to the people who suffer from this as grotesques, he writes, “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” (Anderson, 5). This shows Anderson’s emphasis on maintaining a truth that becomes absolute to the point where it becomes what he describes as a falsehood. Every chapter quantifies this and has an individual that refuses to break the mold. For example, in the chapter ‘Hands’, Anderson, when describing Wing Biddlebaum refers to him and his hands as grotesque, claiming, “They became his distinguishing feature, the source of his fame. Also they made more grotesque an already grotesque and elusive individuality” (Anderson, 11). This example specifically creates an interesting dichotomy that relies on the notion that an absolute truth is necessarily destructive. Each character, including Wing, experience negative affects from maintaining this truth. Unsurprisingly, all of these affects deal with the theme of loneliness. External of Wing, characters like Elizabeth and Alice rely on the certain truth and thus feel desolate and have ultimately been ideologically subjugated due this. Alice remains lonely because she holds onto the idea of Ned returning, while Elizabeth holds onto the idea of leaving Winesburg for a better life. The inability to break this causes separation and deprives these individuals of agency to the point where Elizabeth is referred to as lifeless, when Anderson claims, “The presence of the tall ghostly figure, moving slowly through the halls, he took as a reproach to himself” (Anderson, 21).

            While Anderson paints a negative picture of truth he also offers an escape from this reliance on truth and a way to ultimately destroy this cycle. The elixir as Foster might call it, is youth. Anderson explains “ It was the young thing inside him that saved the old man” (Anderson, 6). The idea of youth is another prevalent theme that allows these characters an option to break the mold. This is seen in nearly every chapter specifically through George Willard who represents youth and innocence. He has not yet been corrupted by the truths of the world and becomes a model by which these other characters can develop an ultimate sense of agency.