Language is Definitely not Transparent

As we continue our reading of Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson, I am continually amazed by how every little detail in this book is symbolic, and everything a character does reveals something about who they are. Language is truly not transparent and that is the way Anderson intended it to be. I think this makes reading the book very difficult to understand, but it also makes discussing the book much easier and much more valuable. It always helps to discuss a challenge read, but, in Winesburg, Ohio, it is essential because of the fact that every word in the stories must be understood to truly understand the story.

For example, a detail as simple as the name of a character or the title of the story holds great meaning. In Godliness, the titles of parts three and four are surrender  and Terror respectively. These two words perfectly sum up the legacy of Jesse Bentley and the way he has completely ruined his own life, his wife's life, his daughter's life, and his grandson's life. In Respectability, the name of the character that is a grotesque is Wash. This is ironic because he is described as a physically grotesque and dirty man. Also, when you read the story, you see that, before the incident with his mother in law, you see his intentions were once clean like his hands. After the incident, needs to wash his filthy misogynistic attitude. All this is drawn from the calculated use of three words.