Babbit & Winseburg, Ohio
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In both Babbit and Winesburg, Ohio we are presented with two cities, one large and one small, whose inhabitants represent the superficial, materialistic and pretentious values and norms of a democratic and capitalistic society. However, in each we are treated to a different main character. One is heroic and true to his inner self. One is pathetic and true only to externally imposed norms. One comes to wholeness of self through development, retains his inner voice and spirit and directs his self-aware love towards community. One does not explore himself or develop at all, represses his inner voice and spirit, and directs his purposefully unconscious actions towards the norms of the materially successful social majority. George Willard is the heroic character in Winesburg, and George Babbit is the pathetic character in Zenith. Willard is heroic in the sense that he is able to keep his inner dream and love alive in the midst of a community whose norms do not permit the development of such internal and spiritual character traits. He is torn between his own desires and those of the material society about him who try to impose their norms on others. He is able to stave off the imposition of these norms and find a deeper place of true self-awareness that is directed through love towards himself and his fellow man. Babbit does not develop at all throughout the course of his experiences, a period of two ye
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youth satisfying his carnal lust and coming to manhood in his initial sexual encounters with Louise. Willard is self-occupied and going with his physical instincts only in this stage of his development. As the opening words reveal, Willard is confused and frightened by the world, “The young man was nervous. All day he had gone about his work like one dazed by a blow” (Ferres 348). The insecure Willard in this relationship matures in “An Awakening”, but he is still insensitive to and fails to understand the motives and needs of Belle as much as he did Louise’s. Yet, George hears a voice that is large and outside himself. His art is maturing but George makes the mistake of thinking the power of that voice is internal. As such, he rambles on sharing large thoughts with Belle; he still thinks that power is revealed in words not insight into himself and others. In “Sophistication” Willard matures as a writer and as a human being. He understands the larger voice is not one of order and control, but one of chaos and limitation. He recognizes the mortality and insignificance of man, which makes him understand deeply why there is need for communication between human beings. He becomes whole internally and is community directed
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1848
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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