The town’s reverend, Curtis Hartman, jeopardizes his image with his thoughts of another woman he watches from a hole in the church through the woman’s open bedroom window. The reverend is married, yet he still peeps at the woman from his hole. He could lose everything, from his wife to his personal integrity, if he is caught. What Reverend Hartman values over everything else is his devotion to God. He believes that this temptation is a test from God, and in order to pass the test, he feels that he must continue peeping through his hole: "I am God’s child and he must save me from myself." To him, the risk of getting caught is insignificant in comparison to the risk of not finding out God’s purpose for him, or of suffering God’s wrath.
In Winesburg, Ohio risks can seem so much larger in scale than in reality, which frightens many people into accepting their ordinary lives. To Reverend Hartman, his physical risks were minimal, and his spiritual risks were great. To George Willard, looking at the town from a journalistic viewpoint has taught him that risk is a good thing. The town is a haven for disappointed souls, and the greatest risk would be to stay in such place. Winesburg is George’s home, but the town’s residents teach George that disappointment comes only from inaction. Acting on your desires is what life is about; fulfillment is one joy that people must experience.
So admired are Sherwood’s stories and characters that Ernest Hemingway parodies Winesburg, Ohio in his novel The Torrents Of Spring. I think that sums up how good Winesburg, Ohio is. If it can linger in the mind and heart of a great like Hemingway and inspire him to parody, the book must be good. So innocent is George Willard that he resembles the eager and optimistic person that each of us were at some point in our life. The hardest part in life is deciding what direction we wanted to go from that point on.
Article comments
1 - Mat Brewster
Thanks for this. I had to read the book for a writing class in college. I loved it. I may just have to pick it up again, since you're reminding me I remember very little of it.
2 - Tan Hoang
Thanks for the comment. I actually didn't get into the book until half-way. I had almost no clue what was going on. But when I got into you, I had to reread from the beginning again, and absolutely fell for the book. It's a great book.
3 - KRS
--"So admired are Sherwood�s stories and characters that Ernest Hemingway parodies Winesburg, Ohio in his novel The Torrents Of Spring."
That may be more a measure of how much Hemingway disliked Sherwood Anderson. I heard that, though Anderson was originally a mentor to Hemingway, the younger author turned on him.
4 - DrPat
You've caught the central theme very well, Tan:
It's a classic novel for a reason that has little to do with Hemingway's parody and possible enmity with the author. The theme speaks to all of us, even if we have never lived in a small town - we recognize that impetus to play it safe, and realize that every decision we avoid tightens the boundaries of our world.
5 - Tan Hoang
I've also heard that Hemingway meant for the parody to be light-hearted but Anderson took it badly.
6 - francisco68
Thanks. Good review. I had the book in my library back in the US for years and could never get into it. Perhaps you convinced me to get a new copy and try again.
Also Torrents of Spring , a Hemingway I somehow missed when I thought I had read all his work.