Being trapped within a society is a major constraint to those longing to achieve goals, for success is not attainable without being an independent person with a sense of an identity. Sherwood Anderson develops this idea greatly in his collection of short stories, Winesburg, Ohio, through George Willard, the recurring protagonist in many stories. Throughout the book, Anderson develops George as the only successful character. George feels trapped within the constraints of his small, hometown, Winesburg, Ohio, as he is inactive and does not spend enough time experiencing real life while living there. Tony Hoagland wrote in his poem America, "I am asleep in America too,/And I don't know how to wake myself either." George, similarly, is metaphorically "asleep" in Winesburg and cannot live up to his full potential.
After years of incidents that cause him to mature, such as being rejected by a girl he liked in the story An Awakening, and facing the death of his mother in Death, George finally realizes that it is the town and the tight-knit society within it that is holding him back. In the story, Sophistication, George is "standing in the crowded streets of his town" feeling "loneliness and isolation" for he has matured enough to realized that he has outgrown the town and needs to live his life outside of society as an individual (240). In the final story, Departure, Anderson concludes his commentary on George's unique success, as he is the only character to leave Winesburg and flee society in order to pursue his goals and be truly successful as an identified individual.
After years of incidents that cause him to mature, such as being rejected by a girl he liked in the story An Awakening, and facing the death of his mother in Death, George finally realizes that it is the town and the tight-knit society within it that is holding him back. In the story, Sophistication, George is "standing in the crowded streets of his town" feeling "loneliness and isolation" for he has matured enough to realized that he has outgrown the town and needs to live his life outside of society as an individual (240). In the final story, Departure, Anderson concludes his commentary on George's unique success, as he is the only character to leave Winesburg and flee society in order to pursue his goals and be truly successful as an identified individual.