Hands

Sherwood Anderson is obsessed with hands throughout the book Winesburg, Ohio.  He uses the word hand or hands 26 times in the book "Hands" alone.  He also uses it an exaggerated amount of times throughout the rest of the book.  Along with just using the word hand or hands a lot he also takes some time in each story to describe the different characters hands. When describing doctor Reefy in the beginning of "Paper Pills" Anderson refers to Reefy's hands.  He describes Dr. Reefy as being "an old man with a white beard and huge nose and huge nose and hands."(Anderson 16).  In "Mother" Anderson is portraying a conversation between Elizabeth Willard and her son George, George leaves and on his way out Anderson writes "By the window sat the sick woman, perfectly still, listless.  Her long hands, white and bloodless, could be seen drooping over the ends of the arms of the chair."(24). this kind of gives you a picture of what this woman is like and pretty much sums up her character as a pale, weak , sickly person.  In "The Philosopher" Anderson describes the saloon keeper as having "peculiarly marked hands"(31).  He then goes on to describe how they are covered in red birthmarks that become deeper red as he gets more excited and then says that they look as though they were dipped in blood.  This description gives me a negative image of the saloon keeper and must have some sort of symbolism or deeper meaning since he goes into such great detail and to such great lengths to describe them.  I am not entirely sure why Anderson is so interested in the hands of his characters and in hands in general but it must have some great importance to him.