the teacher, her actions prevent her from expressing what she truly wants George to know because her emotions are inhibited. George Willard is the main character through which Anderson conveys the theme of inhibition. Because George is proceeding through the process of maturity, the problems that he encounters reflect upon inhibition. All the grotesques in the novel feel comfortable and see George Willard as a communication to the world because he is innocent to the perils that they have experienced, and he is also a reporter. His mother senses great strength when she is in his presence. Because George makes Wing Biddlebaum feel confident and comfortable, Biddlebaum will walk through the middle of town with George, although his presence is scorned there.Another theme of the novel is discovery. In "The Untold Lie," Ray Pearson gets Nell Gunther pregnant and is having conflicting feelings whether to leave her or marry her. He asks Hal Winters what he should do about his situation. When Hal is about to tell him to not marry because marriage is like a noose, Ray looks at Hal and tells Hal that he wants to marry Nell Gunther. At this point, Ray has a moment of discovery. George Willard is the main character that conveys the theme of discovery. Throughout the book, different people try to help George Willard. George finally has his moment of discovery while he is at the fairgrounds with Helen White. The significance of this discovery that human emotions and feelings are the most important concept is silent, not articulated (Walcutt 158-164). The final theme of the novel is cultural failure. This theme is less directly stated or emphasized as the others, but is portrayed through decayed background images. For example, the town's moralism is slowly ebbing toward absence, and the streets are filled with rubbish and glass. One scene that sticks out is the scene when the baker is throwing sticks and objects at a lurking cat hiding...
