Expressionism Blog

Expressionism Blog:

Expressionism is a literary movement that acts as a revolutionary writing method. It goes against the views of typical realist writing and idealistic styles. The purpose is to unconventional, highly subjective writing. I chose this topic because this is what the author Sherwood Anderson used for the driving force in Winesburg, Ohio. The main characters have a distortion of reality because they believe that the serious issues shouldn't be thought of, “he did not think of anything very big or dramatic, the serious and larger aspects of his life did not come into his mind (247).” The fact that George is still in this dream like state shows he is still a child. The whole novel he is trying to get out of the young adult stage and into adulthood, but the outside influences are corrupting his mind. It is not strange that he wants to depart from home and find himself, but to me it feels as if he’s running. George won’t allow himself to think of his mom in her sickly state or the love of his life Helen because it is too real. Dr. Reefy said, “I want to fill you with hatred and contempt so that you will be a superior being” his teachings are molding Georges mind contorting his thoughts into something grotesque.

Another factor of expressionism in writing is a lack of sequence. This story has been debated as being either a novel or a short story cycle. Due to the continuity of characters repeated in each chapter I believe it is a novel. To be a short story cycle each part can stand alone, but in Winesburg, Ohio each chapter gives further analysis of George or is connected to the meaning of the story as a whole. The first book shines a line of the theme of preserving youth. The old man is a symbol of dreams passing by and the sickness/grotesqueness that becomes of your life, “The windows if the house in which he lived was high and he wanted to look at the trees when he awoke in the morning. The ideas had got into his mind that he would some time die unexpectedly and always when he got into bed he thought of that (21-22). Having the windows just out of his reach is a representation of the sort of high expectations he holds for himself. The writer simply desperately wants to be able to look at trees because they are a symbol of life, growth, and development. This reveals how his “heart condition” is more emotional than physical. Irony is displayed through Andersons’ diction, because usually a bed is a comforting place to rest your head; however, here it is used to depict a burial or coffin like state. The theme to preserve your youth is seen in many other chapters in the novel. Elizabeth resents not being able to fulfill her dreams and lives through George.

In conclusion, expressionism is changing the way I look at certain novels. Now I know that there are characters that are striving for individuality, self-reliability, and straying away from communication with others. I believe this is a very important way to write because it is more realistic.