Trauma And Recovery In Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio

Sherwood Anderson is one of the most important writers in American literature history in twentieth century, who has great influence upon the later writers. Winesburg, Ohio is one of his masterpieces, which consists of twenty-five stories and gives us a vivid description about the twenty three characters live in town. They all lead a miserable life and have their own disturbances. Since the publication of this book, critics interpreted it from various perspectives. For example, some critics analyzed his pioneering styles, grotesques, work as bildungsroman, feminism, its Industrial Age background and Expressionism, etc. On the basis of all the reviews, the author of this paper is inspired by one perspective-Freud's psychoanalysis and tries to interpret this work from trauma theory. Through close reading, the author applies the theory into the analysis of some characters and find out their traumas and the relative syndromes.The paper firstly goes through the development of trauma theory from the early period to the contemporary and summarizes the representative viewpoints in each phase. Some basic terms are also clarified here. With careful reading, the author examines the trauma of Wing Biddlebaum in Hands, of Jesse Bentley in Surrender, of Alice Hindman and Wash Williams in Adventure and in Respectability. Their traumas are caused by physical wound, childhood memory and love trauma and their syndromes include repetition compulsion, repression, dissociation and misogyny. In the end, the creation of the work itself is also a process for Anderson to heal his own wound. With the lack of father's affection and the early death of his mother, however successful Anderson was in business, deep down he licked his own trauma silently. During his first marriage, he experienced a nervous breakdown and was sent to the sanatorium for treatment. All kinds of things he underwent could be his possible reasons for trauma. His insecurity, solitude and his guilty to his mother were revealed in Winesburg, Ohio. With Anderson's colorful imagination, he fulfilled the task of alleviating and even healing his trauma.Based on previous reviews, the author attempts to analyze this book with trauma theory. Plus, by the close reading of the book, the author analyzes the book along with Anderson's daily life and relationships with people around him. Thus, the interpretations of the book are deepened.