A Grotesque Depression
Professor Ostrom
ENGL 210
7 December 2012
A Grotesque Depression There are a lot of things throughout life that could make a person depressed. They could have lost someone close to them, problems in their work place or schooling, or just a mind set that the person has. What exactly is depression? Depression is a disorder that is feeling sad, guilty, and helplessness. It can lead to changes in a person’s diet, or sleeping patterns.
According to Dr. Prentis Price, 19.5 million Americans are affected by depression in a single year. A few important symptoms of depression are: feelings of helplessness, guilt, hopelessness, and worthlessness. Writers often use depression as a tool to establish a certain tone, style, or even to describe the whole setting. That is how the book Winesburg, Ohio, written by Sherwood Anderson, is set up. Sherwood uses depression in almost every form possible throughout these stories to portray his idea. The biggest use of depression in his book is when he talks about the truths that make the each character grotesque. Each truth a character has changes the character into an unnatural character. Each hidden truth presents another level of depression for each character. A truth can be destructive in its own way. A truth will always try to fight its way out of the person and the longer a person holds in that truth, the more damaging it can become on, not only the character themselves, but also to people around them. Hiding a truth makes a person feel anxious that someone is out to get the truth from them. If that person is overwhelmed with the feeling of anxiety, it leads to the feeling of helplessness that send them spiraling down into depression. In Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood Anderson describes all the characters as grotesque, saying that each character had a hidden truth that made them unique. The way Sherwood Anderson uses his word choice to describe the characters has an underlying hint towards a depression. Grotesque
ENGL 210
7 December 2012
A Grotesque Depression There are a lot of things throughout life that could make a person depressed. They could have lost someone close to them, problems in their work place or schooling, or just a mind set that the person has. What exactly is depression? Depression is a disorder that is feeling sad, guilty, and helplessness. It can lead to changes in a person’s diet, or sleeping patterns.
According to Dr. Prentis Price, 19.5 million Americans are affected by depression in a single year. A few important symptoms of depression are: feelings of helplessness, guilt, hopelessness, and worthlessness. Writers often use depression as a tool to establish a certain tone, style, or even to describe the whole setting. That is how the book Winesburg, Ohio, written by Sherwood Anderson, is set up. Sherwood uses depression in almost every form possible throughout these stories to portray his idea. The biggest use of depression in his book is when he talks about the truths that make the each character grotesque. Each truth a character has changes the character into an unnatural character. Each hidden truth presents another level of depression for each character. A truth can be destructive in its own way. A truth will always try to fight its way out of the person and the longer a person holds in that truth, the more damaging it can become on, not only the character themselves, but also to people around them. Hiding a truth makes a person feel anxious that someone is out to get the truth from them. If that person is overwhelmed with the feeling of anxiety, it leads to the feeling of helplessness that send them spiraling down into depression. In Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood Anderson describes all the characters as grotesque, saying that each character had a hidden truth that made them unique. The way Sherwood Anderson uses his word choice to describe the characters has an underlying hint towards a depression. Grotesque
Cited: "Biography of Sherwood Anderson". Grade Saver. n.p. 2012. 8 December 2012. < http://www.gradesaver.com/author/sherwood-anderson / > Prentiss Price Ph.D. "What is Depression". All About Depression. 2010. 8 December 2012. < http://www.allaboutdepression.com/gen_01.html >