hands

Winesburg, Ohio- Hands- Sherwood Anderson

Hands are everywhere in our lives. We use them for almost everything that we do. Eating food, opening a book, typing a blog. We wouldn't be able to function properly without the use of our hands. It’s exactly because our hands are so involved in what we do on a daily basis that they say so much about us and who we are. In “Hands,” Sherwood Anderson uses hands and the secrets that hands can reveal in order to develop characters.

In building the basic impression of his character Wing Biddlebaum, Anderson uses Biddlebaum’s hands to reveal his personality. He describes Biddlebaum’s hand as being “expressive” and “forever active” in order to describe Biddlebaum himself. However, it is not a description of Biddlebaum’s outer appearance and actions, but the action of his mind. His mind, like his hands, is forever active, and because this action and energy growing and developing in his brain overflows but isn't transferred into movement of his body as a whole, his hands become his outlet of expression, illuminating a part of him that cannot otherwise be physically seen. However, this expression is not limited to his personality, but also includes more short term forms of expressions such as emotions. Anderson notes that as he waits for George Willard, Biddlebaum’s hands are “nervous,” once again a display of the mind inside. Biddlebaum, very aware of the unique expression of his hands (to the point of scaring him later on in his life), uses his hands as a method of communication. Through touch he “[carries] a dream into the young minds” of his school children. Through the motions of his hands he’s able to communicate his state of mind.

Because of his heavy reliance on his hands to communicate what he’s thinking, his hands become even more representative of him as a person as compared to other people. Anderson once again uses this to explore Biddlebaum’s character. He describes the hands’ motions as “the beating of the wings of an imprisoned bird.” Like the bird, Biddlebaum is trapped, not by a physical cage, but rather the opinions of those around him. This cage of fear was one placed on him by the parents of his schoolchildren that accused him of inappropriate behavior. However, Biddlebaum does not only resemble the bird in the fact that he is imprisoned. He also takes on the characteristic of the bird’s beating wings. The bird does not just quietly accept its fate, but struggles against the cage, trapped nonetheless. Biddlebaum is the same. His thoughts and ever active mind keep his hands just as expressive as always and he longs to break free of his cage, but in the end the fear prevails and constrains his actions.

For Biddlebaum, George Willard is his escape. His cage of fear is removed, if only momentarily, and allows him to fly free. Anderson describes the incident saying, “Wing Biddlebaum became wholly inspired. For once he forgot the hands.” Through his hands he finds confidence again and, as he himself is inspired, is able to convey the inspiration of the Willard. However, only moments later the cage comes crashing down, the opinions of other once again trapping Biddlebaum. Just as the actions of the hands were misunderstood, causing them to be restrained, the mind behind the hands was also misunderstood. The cage that restricts Wing Biddlebaum comes crashing down not only on his hands, but also on his mind. The active mind of Biddlebaum and the thoughts that could inspire the world are trapped with his hands.