The Synecdochic Motif in Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio

The novel, rather than describing a complete lack of order, has characters trying to give meaning to events around them. This reinforces the theme of absurdity by strengthening the impact each instance of absurdity has on the novel. The film overlooks this through an overall lack of explanation, resulting in the overall theme of absurdity being collectively, less meaningful. By blatantly introducing absurdity, and attempting to understand the lack of reason, the novel provides a deeper understanding of the theme of absurdity than the film.

In Cleanth Brooks piece “Language of Paradox” he talks about how the deconstruction of a subject through connotative and denotative meanings creates paradox. Brooks defines paradox in his text saying “We may permit it in epigram a special sub-variety of poetry and satire, which though useful, we are hardly willing to allow to be poetry at all. Our prejudices force us to regard paradox as intellectual rather than emotional, cleaver rather than profound, rational rather than divinely irrational “ (pg.28, 1947). Brooks is saying he wants the reader to understand and recognize their knowledge and conceived notions, and to encourage a new perspective.

In George Saunders essay “thank you, Esther Forbes”, he describes how an author who he read during his youthful age helped him to understand why and how sentences can be important. The essay is written on a more personal note about a nun named Sister Lynette who helped Saunders to develop his perception of sentences. In third grade at St. Darmian School, Saunders was given the novel “Johnny Tremain” by Esther Forbes and that was a turning point for him. This was because the book provided him with a different understanding of the joys of reading as well as writing. On the other, “escape from spider head” helps in providing an analysis of the strengths of a man being put to test. The limits presented in the story are classified as physical, emotional as well as moral. The theme of the story is searching for humanity which makes the readers ask themselves, what makes us human? According to “escape from spider head” humans are considered to be innately empathetic in nature and they are considered to be people who are against the infliction of pain as well as discomfort which is caused on another innocent human being. The aim of the essay is to elaborate more on the connection existing between “Thank you, Esther Forbes” and “Escape from Spiderhead” in terms of the details presented in the two stories.

Whereas the narrator of the “Tell-Tale Heart” heard many things that weren’t real, Ronald Adams of the radio play, The Hitchhiker experienced events were he saw things that didn’t quite match up with reality. All throughout The Hitchhiker, Adams repeatedly sees a hitchhiker , while others fail to notice or acknowledge his existence. “Did you see him too?/ See who?/ That man standing beside the barbed wire fence./I didn’t see anybody” (Page 98). The Hitchhiker quote depicted a scene, where Ronald had a girl hitchhiker in his car. While Adams tried to show her the hitchhiker he wanted to run down, she, however, had trouble seeing what Ronald had seen. This quote shows how Ronald Adams had trouble separating reality from fantasy, because he tried to run over a man, who the girl couldn’t confirm was actually present. While both characters of the two tales have trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality, their sanity can be further questioned based upon their chronic

The section begins with a description of the town, “After rain, or when snowfalls thaw, the streets, unnamed, unshaded, unpaved, turn from the thickest dust to the direst mud”(Capote 1). By including these details in the description of the town it shows that the town is a very old fashioned town that is behind the societies that are in more developed, larger cities in America. Capote goes on, “The bank closed in 1933, and its former counting rooms have be converted into apartments”(Capote 2). With the bank having been closed around the time of the depression it shows that the town no longer trusted the government after the banks failed them and they do all their business between themselves. The town is a very closed off from the national system and the only connection they have is through their post office. All these descriptions cause the town to be a perfect picture of a safe, rural community where nothing bad happens and people all depend on each other.

Most people when asked to describe what the word grotesque means they might refer to the dictionary’s definition of the word, which according to The American Heritage Dictionary the meaning of grotesque is “characterized by ludicrous, repulsive, or incongruous distortion, as of appearance or manner.” Not only can one be grotesque with one’s appearance but also their behavior. Sherwood Anderson in his book Winesburg Ohio mentions that “the grotesques were not all horrible. Some were amusing, some almost beautiful”. Anderson lets the reader know that a grotesque is not so just because of their physical appearance but, “was the truths that made the people grotesque.” People in Andersons book “took one of these truths to himself, called it his truth, and tried to live his life by it, he became a grotesque and the truth he embraced became a falsehood.” (Anderson 8). Elizabeth Willard by this definition is the “worst” grotesque in this book. She has been transformed by her beliefs into a sad, ugly & dangerous grotesque. Her appearance, beliefs, and actions are all contributing factors to her

As the story begins, we are first introduced to Mrs. Freeman, a hired hand on the Hopewell farm. At first glance Mrs. Freeman appears to be simple “good country people,” but that is not the case. It is very ironic that Mrs. Hopewell refers to her as a “lady and that she was never ashamed to take her anywhere or introduce her to anybody that they might meet” (452.) In reality Mrs. Freeman is a busybody and harbors secret fascination with the macabre. She has “a special fondness for the details of secret infections, hidden deformities, assaults upon children. Of diseases she preferred the lingering or the uncurable" (455). Her secret fascination and penchant for gossip is quite different from what one would think “good country people” let alone a “lady” would be interested in. Mrs. Freeman never hesitates to share the details of her daughters' lives with Mrs. Hopewell. One gets the impression that Mrs. Freeman will divulge

When a young author from New York City decides to take a trip to the southern city of Savannah, he finds himself falling in love with the town and ends up renting an apartment. He encounters many different characters, including Danny Hansford and Jim Williams, that gives the reader a good look into the aura of Savannah. The main conflict in the book occurs when a murder happens in an old mansion located in the town. The book follows the progression of the trial and the outcome following the court’s decision.

“It was in the clove of seasons, summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree” (James Hurst, “The Scarlet Ibis”). This line of figurative language from Hurst’s short story shows the setting and how summer is gone, but autumn has not started yet. In literature, authors use figurative language to emphasize setting or to add to characterization. In “The Scarlet Ibis”, Doodle is a six year old disabled boy who is unable to walk. “Brother”, the narrator, works hard to get Doodle to be able to things that normal kids do, but the pride he has for himself does not want to deal with the embarrassment of having a disabled brother. In “The Scarlet Ibis” author James Hurst uses figurative language to establish the theme of how pride can blind oneself from the things that really matter.

In his novel, The Stranger by Albert Camus, translated by Matthew Ward, irony within the protagonist’s ( Meursault ) contrasting perception of the human condition is used to illustrate and invoke the reader to question the contradictory nature of societal expectations. His indifferent and unprecedented reactions to experiences - relative to the characters that Camus laid before him - aid in displaying the absurdity of a world constrained by the chains of conventional wisdom. The contrasting nature of Meursault's demeanor in defying conventional wisdom in experiences such as love and death not only reveals the underlying hypocrisy of the human condition but further illustrates the arbitrary essence of defining a human life.

Ray Bradbury's use of paradoxical statements is to promote the true meaning of this novel, which is knowledge versus ignorance. Knowledge is key in life, yet the society in this novel takes it for granted. They rather sit in front of a television screen and watch fictional characters all day long than gain the one thing the world can give which is free, and that

Yet, there are still inconsistencies with this interpretation, which also apply to the stricter literal view; where does the "gray, scrawny Italian child" down the road by the railroad tracks come from? (26) Where do the workmen come from? (137) If the valley is so isolated and desolate how could Nick even imagine there would be an old man regaling little boys with the story of Myrtle's death? (156) How does such a crowd accumulate next to a dumping ground? (156-7) Why would Dr. T. J. Eckleburg advertise there, train delays notwithstanding? (23)  These concerns cannot be fully explained away by the

Additionally, by including less detail, Spiegelman makes his characters easier to relate to, or as McCloud references, more universal. After Vladek recalls the hanging of a few of his associates, Spiegelman illustrates a very plain, bleak image of him mourning their loss in present day. The image consists of the most basic character features, making it effortless for the reader to mentally input their face on Vladek’s. Overall, this “amplification through simplification” (McCloud), aids the reader in feeling the emotion of the character, finding a deeper connection to the story as a whole, and can reveal universal truths.

The author uses the town as a symbol of the new South by utilizing the historical context, the overall thematic elements as well as the characterization of the protagonist.

Widely recognized for philosophical writings as a French essayist and playwright, Albert Camus is a major contributor to exploring the absurd in modern Western literature. Characterized by highlighting the human condition, Camus’ writing style focuses on the everyday lives and inner psyche of individuals in both ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. Such a character-driven writing style is most notably displayed in his 1946 work, The Stranger, a tale of an emotionally-detached man known as Meursault, who lives in French-colonized Algiers during the intermission of the two World Wars. Consisting of two parts—The Stranger first explores his daily life as a free man, and in the second, delves more into the character’s own philosophy as Meursault contemplates during his remaining time in jail. At its core, the story explores the relationships and interactions of the odd Meursault through the character’s inner monologue and dialogue with those around him. The story itself is very ambiguous in its’ nature, and the idea of contemplating the meaning of life and purpose is prevalent throughout The Stranger. Evidently, Camus writes Meursault as a man who believes that life has no meaning, and therefore people are free to do as they please. To supplement the protagonist’s view, the author also presents Meursault alongside various personalities of key supporting characters, each with their own unique personality, and differing outlooks on life. Doing so thus enables Camus to get readers to contemplate about meaning through multiple perspectives. Stylistically, through many devices that emphasize diction, imagery, and story themes. Ultimately, The Stranger is a way for Camus to convey that there are multiple ways to perceive the meaning of life, using Meursault to directly project a different view than what readers are used to. Surely, with the intent of crafting a protagonist so strange, that Meursault becomes comparable to other characters; less so as a reflection of what the author personally believes the meaning of life is, but more of what such exploration of the idea could be.