Hands by Sherwood Anderson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hands by Sherwood Anderson - Essay ExampleThe story is about Wing Biddlebaum, a fat little darkened man from Winesburg, Ohio. Wing Biddlebaum was driven out of Pennsylvania, his original hometown, after he was falsely accused of molesting a preadolescent boy in a enlighten where he used to teach. This happened because of his habit of caressing the boys hairs and shoulders whenever he talked to them. Wings seemingly uncontrollable hands manifest his grotesqueness. The central symbol of this story is hands, which fingers breadth as agents of conflicting aims of different characters and demonstrate Wings helplessness and vulnerability. Discussion We are told that Winesburg was proud of the hands of Wing Biddlebaum in the same gist in which it was proud of Banker Whites new stone house and Wesley Moyers bay stallion (Anderson 16). His hands are a distinguished feature which amazes the citizens of Winesburg, but he seems not to notice and instead is afraid of them. Many citizens, inc luding George Willard, have many times wanted to ask him about his hands and why he seemed frightened by their power. This fear of his hands shows his grotesque nature. Wing hides his hands in fear that he might repeat the incident at the school. This is despite the fact that he had pure intentions in everything he did. In a way, the voice and hands, the stroking of the shoulders and the touching of the hair was a part of the schoolmasters efforts to carry a dream into the young minds.