Winesburg, Ohio | Characters

The tales that comprise Winesburg, Ohio are complete in themselves and can be enjoyed individually, but the volume gains depth when regarded as a unified portrait of young George Willard. Anderson coined the word "grotesques" to describe what in another story might simply be termed the "village characters."

Each of the twenty-four stories concludes with " — concerning Wing Biddlebaum," or " — concerning Joe Welling." The characters are shadowy figures who are not clearly defined, although they apparently meet Anderson's needs in telling his story.

In the story "Hands —...

[The entire page is 386 words long]

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