Informal Response to Departure from Winesburg, Ohio-- Megan Beers

        

Essentially Departure is about the end of of George Willard's life in Winesburg, and it touches on the important lessons that he took from each character within the book. He been awake since two pondering about his journey to the city, George Willard arose at four and prepared for his departure from Winesburg. George took his bags and walked the streets of Winesburg under the sunrise (sunrise=hope). He walked to Trunion Pike, where he had walked numerous time when he was young, the land was now flat and green (green=growth) As he headed back into town many of the street clerks asks him how he feels to be leaving. The train to Cleveland, where it connects to either Chicago or New York departed at seven forty-five so George leaves the New Willard House at seven for the station. Tom Willard, now shorter than his son, carries George's bag. On the platform numerous townsfolk, even his boss Will Henderson and Gertrude Wilmot who had never paid attention to George, wished him good luck, awoke early enough to shake his hand and to express their hope for George before he leaves.  When the train arrives George hops on quickly feeling relieved. 

 Departure begins in the midst of spring with the field green and showing growth. Anderson’s seasonal symbolism of this story is used to show a renewal and rebirth. George’s departure for the big city is a time of rebirth as he will start fresh, in his role as a man. George becomes in this short tale the archetypal young man setting out to make it in the city; appropriately, the city is not named. As George leaves his home town behind, he dreams a little about what his future life will be, then awakens to realize that "the town of Winesburg had disappeared and his life there had become but a background on which to paint the dreams of his manhood."(252)

           Before his departure, many townspeople come to shake George’s hand. Throughout the novel “hands” being a major symbol that denotes a pledge of faith, sincerity and justice and it is symbolic of support and strength. “On the station platform everyone shook the young man’s hand.” (251) Many of the characters that showed up at the platform, have touched George somehow and helped to create his dream(Wing Biddlebaum) of leaving and creating a new life for himself. Although this seems kind of ironic because after he boards the train he chooses to forget his life in Winesburg and move on with his new life. 

 

             This is a rather hopeful ending for a text that has not been very optimistic. George is off to make his fortune in the world, but he can only do so alone and by saying goodbye to all his human connections. He is impatient with the people there to see him off, because this is his adventure, not theirs. In this story George is a metaphor for everyone's lives; we are all alone on the train of life, and any connection we make with others is destined to be short-lived.