Winesburg, Ohio · Chapter
Queer explained
Elmer Cowley, the son of a struggling merchant in Winesburg, is consumed by a desperate fear that he and his family are perceived as 'queer' by the town.
What happens
Elmer Cowley, the son of a struggling merchant in Winesburg, is consumed by a desperate fear that he and his family are perceived as 'queer' by the town. He fixates on George Willard as the embodiment of public opinion and attempts to confront him, but fails to articulate his feelings. After a failed attempt to explain himself to the half-witted farmhand Mook, Elmer resolves to run away to Cleveland. He steals money from his father's store and, before boarding the midnight train, finally confronts George at the depot, thrusting the money into his hand in a frantic, inarticulate gesture.
Themes in this chapter
Loneliness and Isolation
Elmer's profound sense of being cut off from others, unable to make friends or communicate his inner turmoil.
Failure of Communication
Elmer's repeated inability to express his feelings, culminating in a sputtering, incoherent confrontation with George Willard.
Search for Meaning and Connection
Elmer's desperate plan to run away to Cleveland in hopes of finding a life where he can talk, laugh, and be indistinguishable from others.
Characters to notice
- Elmer Cowley
The protagonist of the chapter, consumed by the fear of being 'queer' and desperate to escape Winesburg.
- George Willard
The young reporter whom Elmer sees as the symbol of Winesburg's judgment and whom he finally confronts at the train station.
- Ebenezer Cowley
Elmer's father, a timid and unsuccessful merchant who wears an old Prince Albert coat and is easily swayed by traveling salesmen.
- Mook
A half-witted former farmhand who listens to Elmer's complaints in the woods and mutters 'I'll be washed and ironed.'
Key passages
“Elmer Cowley could not have believed that George Willard had also his days of unhappiness, that vague hungers and secret unnamable desires visited also his mind.”
Elmer assumed George was always happy and never struggled with the same hidden longings and sorrows that plagued him.
Highlights Elmer's projection of George as a flawless representative of normalcy.
“He would get work in some shop and become friends with the other workmen and would be indistinguishable. Then he could talk and laugh. He would no longer be queer and would make friends.”
Elmer believed that by losing himself in a city crowd and working among strangers, he could shed his oddness and finally fit in.
Reveals Elmer's fantasy of escape and assimilation as a cure for his isolation.
“I'll be washed and ironed. I'll be washed and ironed and starched.”
A nonsensical phrase Elmer mutters when overwhelmed, borrowed from the half-wit Mook, expressing his feeling of being cleaned out or undone.
Shows Elmer's adoption of Mook's language as a symptom of his own mental distress.