Enoch Robinson

Because we had such limited times during our fishbowl discussions, I am going to share some of my insights concerning the story “Loneliness.”

1. Windows are a recurring item within Winesburg, Ohio. In “Loneliness,” the “farmhouse was painted brown” and “the blinds to all of the windows facing the road were kept closed.” It’s important to note that the blinds were all closed, which shows Enoch’s desire to hide from others and thus explains his loneliness. Even when Enoch tries to connect with others and have human relationships, he isn’t successful. For example, Enoch tries to have an affair with a woman, but, after walking for a bit with the women, Enoch “grew afraid and ran away” (168). He then, “crept off to his room trembling and vexed” (168). Why can’t Enoch interact with others normally? Does he have some sort of mental disorder?
2. There are many indications of mental disorder, as the quotation, “He could draw well enough and he had many odd delicate thoughts hidden away in his brain that might have expressed themselves through the brush of a painter, but he was always a child and that was a handicap to his worldly development. He never grew up and of course he couldn’t understand people and he couldn’t make people understand him. The child in him kept bumping against things, against actualities like money and sex and opinions. Once he was hit by a street car and thrown against an iron post. That made him lame” shows. Generally, those that have mental disorders act childlike and tend to be very creative in one area. Since Enoch seems to excel at painting and hasn’t matured, Enoch could have slight mental disorder, perhaps schizophrenia. However, although he has this mental disorder, he is not the only one that’s lonely. Maybe, his disorder makes Enoch lonelier and that is why the title of the chapter is “Loneliness.” Why would Sherwood Anderson create a character with a mental illness?
3. Why does he invite the artists? For him, the move to New York means getting out of Winesburg, which represents an attempt at maturity. Enoch inviting the artists shows that he wants some sort of communication or understanding with the artists. The reason he becomes an artist is because of his nonverbal skills, and he thinks that he may be able to communicate with other artists. However, there is a major contrast between Enoch and the others. The artists are composed and can articulate their thoughts well (“Words were said about line and values and composition, lots of words, such as are always being said” (169)). However, Enoch cannot talk coherently (“He was too excited to talk coherently” (169)) so there is lack of understanding. As the Enoch’s naïve artist’s inability produce sophisticated speech contrasts with the other artist’s superficial sophistication, Anderson conveys great differences in maturity.
4. The speaker also says, “The room in which young Robinson lived in New York faced Washington square and was long and narrow like a hallway.” Generally, we think of a narrow room as a suffocating experience. However, it is only suffocating when he meets the real people that have a lack of understanding. The room is narrow with what Enoch thinks are narrow-minded artists, but is “long” and perhaps even expansive when it is filled with his “imaginary’ friends.

My insights so far only cover the first few pages of the story, and, next week, I will try to analyze the rest of the story. There are some questions to consider though…

What is the significance of Enoch’s painting and the “beautiful woman?” Who are Enoch’s imaginary friends? Why did he marry a girl in his art school and then leaver her? Does Enoch’s story parallel Anderson’s own story? How can you characterize the understanding between George Willard and Enoch Robinson? Why do his imaginary friends leave? Although most of the characters in Winesburg, Ohio experience a degree of loneliness, why is title of this specific story “Loneliness?”