This week in class we have been
talking about several of the stories in the book Winesburg, Ohio. In every one of these stories, at least one or two
characters exhibits a mental defense mechanism. We have also looked at
symbolism and themes throughout the story, and have kept coming back to the
theme of hands, and what they represent. This theme got me thinking about what
I assume about someone when I see their hands. If I see someone with long,
unkempt fingernails, I obviously will assume they don’t have the best personal
hygiene. This presumption extends much deeper than this, and I’ll assume they
are a generally lazy person who cannot be bothered to cut their nails
regularly. This will affect how I view them, at least until I get to know them
better. If someone has fake fingernails, I’ll assume they are a “fake” person
in the sense that they do a lot for show, not because they personally believe
in the actions they’re taking. As for the hands themselves, soft, calm looking
hands mean to me that person is careful and prudent, and will not do anything
dangerous. On the opposite side of that, someone with lots of scars on their
hands comes off as a daredevil. Coarse hands tell me that person is a hard and
determined worker.
Branching off from hands, other
parts of the body can lead to me presuming things about people too. For
instance, if someone has a very clean facial complexion, I will assume they
like to keep good care of themselves and, again, are prudent. A scraggly beard
does not necessarily tell me someone is lazy- often they are more preoccupied
with other things that taking care of their facial hair has to take a back seat
in order for them to succeed. Bed head tells me someone values a good night’s
sleep more than looking great (I sympathize greatly with these types of
people). A unique hairstyle will tell me that someone is a trailblazer, is
self-confident, and doesn’t mind what other people think. Are there things of
other peoples’ appearances that tip you off to their personality?
Obviously, clothing is a great indicator of people's personalities. At RMHS, if you see someone donning certain athletic attire, you can certainly assume certain things about their personality. Similarly, when the weather changes with the season (and sometimes even when it doesn't), if you see people stretching the school's dress code (girls and boys alike), you can deduce certain things about them. Most of these things are often better left unsaid, however, sometimes these assumptions are wrong. There are plenty of people who defy their appearances and Winesburg, Ohio has some of these people, as well. For example, Wash Williams, despite currently being a repulsive being, defies his outward appearance. He does this when he reveals his badly hurt true self to George Willard, one of much care and love for his wife.
ReplyDeleteAnderson uses physical traits a lot to provide insight into characters. He uses hands a lot, like you talked about, and also frequently describes people as tall and describes their complexion. He also uses clothing a lot, like Paul mentioned. One particularly symbolic use of clothing was in "Paper Pills." In the story, a girl wears a white dress to symbolize purity and then gets blood all over it to represent loss of virginity.This provides key insight into the story because of how powerful of an indicator clothing can be.
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