Winesburg, Ohio · Chapter
Paper Pills explained
This chapter introduces Doctor Reefy, an old, eccentric physician in Winesburg who lives a solitary life after the death of his wealthy young wife.
What happens
This chapter introduces Doctor Reefy, an old, eccentric physician in Winesburg who lives a solitary life after the death of his wealthy young wife. It recounts his unusual courtship with the tall, dark girl, who came to him in distress after becoming pregnant by a silent, passionate suitor. Their relationship blossoms from an unexpected connection, and she comes to appreciate the 'sweetness of the twisted apples'—the hidden beauty in life's imperfections. Doctor Reefy's habit of writing thoughts on scraps of paper, forming them into hard balls, symbolizes his internal world of truths constantly built and dismantled.
Themes in this chapter
Loneliness and Isolation
Doctor Reefy lives alone in his dusty office, forgotten by the town, with only his paper thoughts and one friend.
Search for Meaning and Connection
The doctor's constant creation and destruction of truths, and his brief but profound connection with the tall dark girl, reflect a search for deeper meaning.
Characters to notice
- Doctor Reefy
An old, solitary doctor who fills his pockets with paper scraps of thoughts and lives in his dusty office after his wife's death.
- John Spaniard
The only friend of Doctor Reefy, a tree nursery owner who receives playful paper ball tosses from the doctor.
Key passages
“Little pyramids of truth he erected and after erecting knocked them down again that he might have the truths to erect other pyramids.”
He built small structures of insight, only to dismantle them so he could use the same insights to build new ones.
Illustrates Doctor Reefy's philosophical process of constantly re-evaluating his thoughts.
“It is delicious, like the twisted little apples that grow in the orchards of Winesburg.”
The story is as sweet and unique as the gnarled apples left on the trees after the harvest.
Metaphor for the hidden beauty in imperfect things, central to the chapter's theme.