In order to enhance an understanding of the connected stories that comprise "Winesburg, Ohio", we together read the two page prologue story. Marcel provided a good definition of the word"grotesque ", and I explained how the author in the prologue offers a unique interpretation by describing certain characters who have lost their way in life as
"grotesque". We further noted how the role of the author/artist is portrayed in the prologue story. We then analyzed the first story,"Hands". Marcel did a good job recognizing the role guilt played in explaining the main character's isolation. We further discussed the symbolism of the title "Hands" as it is through his hands that the main character tries to reach out to others, but as Marcel commented, he cannot and instead isolates himself. Last, we addressed Marcel's astute question about the religious references in final paragraph of the story . I explained the role of the rosary in prayer ,and noted how the main character can be viewed as "grotesque" because he has made almost a religious rite of his isolation. For Monday, I assigned reading the next 4 stories, and handing in the rewrite of the essay which we discussed in class on Monday.