Winesburg, Ohio: 2. Hands Summary & Analysis

Wing Biddlebaum paces on the porch of his dilapidated house, watching a wagon of his fellow berry pickers return from a day of work in the fields. One of the young girls in the group yells across the field to mock Wing, telling him to comb the hair falling into his eyes even though he is an old, bald man.

Wing, who is haunted by self-doubt, does not feel like he fits in with the other townspeople who live in Winesburg. His only friend is George Willard, a young man who works as a reporter for the local newspaper, the Winesburg Eagle. George sometimes walks along the highway to spend the evening with Wing, and his company allows Wing to come out of his shell and face the world with less timidity and fear. When talking with George, Wing’s hands are noticeably expressive.

The narrator states that Wing’s story is “a story of hands.” Their constant erratic movement is similar to that of a caged bird, which is how Wing got his name. Wing is ashamed of his restless hands, trying to keep them hidden and envying men who are able to keep their hands still while they work and go about their day. Wing finds it easier to hold a conversation with George while beating his fists on the nearest surface.

When Wing arrived in Winesburg, his hands attracted attention because their constant motion allowed him to pick high volumes of strawberries as a field laborer. The narrator notes that Wing’s hands made him grotesque yet somewhat endearing to the townspeople. George is curious about the hands, sensing that there must be a hidden reason for their “strange activity.”

George had almost reached the point of asking Wing about his hands once before. The two were walking in the fields when Wing began beating on a fence and yelling at George that he isolated himself too much and was too worried about other people’s opinions. Wing then became inspired by a vision of a “pastoral golden age” where young men gathered to listen at the feet of an old man in a countryside garden. Wing encourages George to forget what he has learned and ignore outside influences, caressing George’s shoulders as he speaks. Realizing he has touched George, Wing is horrified and abruptly leaves. George decides not to ask him about his hands, sensing that they have something to do with why Wing is afraid of everyone.

The narrator shifts to tell the story of Wing’s hands. Twenty years ago, Wing had been a schoolteacher in Pennsylvania where he was known as Adolph Myers. Wing cared for his students on an inappropriate level, often fondling the boys’ shoulders and heads as he delivered impassioned lectures that he hoped would “carry a dream” into their young minds. One of Wing’s students became enamored with him and accused him of molestation, which the other boys corroborated. The small town was scandalized, and Wing was beaten up and driven out of Pennsylvania to Winesburg, Ohio.

Twenty years later, in the present, Wing is still living in Winesburg. After pacing on his porch, Wing goes back into the house and eats slices of bread spread with honey. He is lonely and still longs for the presence of George, who is “the medium through which he expressed his love of man.” After his meal, Wing ravenously eats the bread crumbs left on his kitchen floor. In this position, Wing looks like a priest knelt in devotion, his nervous hands resembling a rosary prayer.