| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 英語學系 === 90 === Winesburg, Ohio is a Bildungsroman focusing on the maturity of the protagonist─George Willard. By examining his inner development, we know that it is never easy for a person to go through a soul-searching journey to become mature and balanced. Sherwood Anderson provides us with an educational experience through reading this novel. This thesis intends to study Winesburg, Ohio as a Bildungsroman about George Willard.
Chapter One is the introduction to this thesis. As a matter of fact, Edwin Fossell has pointed out that Winesburg, Ohio is a Bildungsroman about a young artist’s dilemma between art and society. Chapter Two discusses the definitions of Bildungsroman by Laurie Henry and Todd Curtis Kontje. The latter states the origin of Bildungsroman and its five distinctive features. Nevertheless, I prefer the explanation of Suzanne Harder because her discussions best portray the development of George Willard. Chapter Three deals with how “grotesques” are related to the protagonist. Basically, they are, so to speak, George Willard’s personal “mentors.” They have directly or indirectly influenced him and guided him through the process of maturity. Among them are Wing Biddlebaum, Doctor Reefy, and Elizabeth, who respectively represent the embarrassing situation of human beings in communicating feelings, thoughts, and love. These people are the microcosm of modern people’s bothering and trouble. Chapter Four concerns George Willard’s developing process. Joseph Campbell’s theory is applied to the discussion of the hero’s journey. By going through the three stages of the hero─George Willard, we see how an innocent and immature soul struggles through the trials and reaches the sphere of an elevated and balanced soul. The choices between his art and society, dream, faith, as well as love illuminate and educate us to dig through our own journey in life. That is what Winesburg, Ohio as a Bildungsroman is about.
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