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Why did George Willard leave Winesburg, Ohio?
Quick answer:
George Willard leaves Winesburg to gain life experience necessary for his development as a writer. In "Departures," he understands that familiarity with Winesburg is insufficient for his growth. Influenced by a teacher who emphasizes the importance of knowing life, George decides to move to the city. His departure is not driven by grand ambitions, but by a readiness to mature, explore new horizons, and ultimately become a real writer and adult.
Though George Willard is deeply involved in Winesburg, he decides to leave in the story "Departures"; he does so to move to the big city and get life experience so he can be a writer.
In an earlier story, the teacher talks to George. Sherwood Anderson writes:
The school teacher tried to bring home to the mind of the boy some conception of the difficulties he would have to face as a writer. "You will have to know life," she declared, and her voice trembled with earnestness. She took hold of George Willard's shoulders and turned him about so that she could look into his eyes. A passer-by might have thought them about to embrace. "If you are to become a writer you'll have to stop fooling with words," she explained
He knows that she's right. Despite his familiarity with Winesburg and the people there, he has to leave to find out about life. When he finally leaves, he doesn't have grandiose dreams of the future. Instead, he thinks about his mother and wonders what will happen in the city. He's ready to explore and see what else is out there. After his experiences as a young man, he's ready to mature into a real writer and an adult.
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