Different Grotesques Telling The Same Story

As one of the pioneers of short story in America,Sherwood Anderson assures himself of a distinctive position in the history of American literature.Owing to the influences on many famous writers,he is called "the tutor of the masters".His masterpiece,Winesburg,Ohio,is the rare flower in the history of American literature, and remains belletristic hotspot with its unique writing style and profound themes.This book vividly portrays a group of "grotesques" on the background of industrialization in the American society,who are isolated by themselves,and yearn for love and communication.This paper takes subhead,"the same story",as the entry point;discuss the inner causality between the experience of each character and their abnormal psychology and behaviors.What is reflected by their different individual experience is the same essence, namely,the existential crisis of the modern people.The Thesis tries to abstract three main themes from the seemingly loosely-strung novel,namely,loneliness and alienation of humanity,identity crisis and the epiphany concerning the essence of life.The first part is general introduction of Sherwood Anderson and Winesburg,Ohio.According to the three themes,the main body divides into three parts separately,and analysis detailed through the selected typical short stories.The first chapter is loneliness and alienation of the humanity,including the stories of "Hands","Paper Pills" and "Loneliness".The second chapter contains two parts:the initiation story of George Willard and the identity crisis of Elizabeth Willard.The three phases of George's initiation story is revealed through the developments of his man-woman relationship and his pursuit to be a writer. The third Chapter chooses "Philosopher","Adventure" and "The Untold Lie" to discuss the theme of Anderson's technique of Epiphany.At last,the conclusion will summarize from two aspects:the influence of Anderson's experience on the book,and the realistic meaning of Winesburg,Ohio.The thesis tries to use the technique of thematic study on the basis of text analysis, aiming to do a conclusive study on the work from a general perspective,deepen the reader's understanding of the work,and reveal the realistic meaning which still remains significant even in today's modern society.