Pills

In Sherwood Anderson's short story collection Winesburg, Ohio, the story "Paper Pills" focuses on the character of Doctor Reefy and the devastating effects of his ill-fated marriage. The "paper pills" of the title are the small pieces of paper upon which the doctor writes his thoughts, and reads to his wife up until her death. Her death ruptures Doctor Reefy's life so that it, just like his pieces of paper, turns inwards, eventually transforming into a gnarled, isolated little shell of a life. By examining the role of the "paper pills" in the story of the same name and the narrator's description of Doctor Reefy's physical appearance, it will be possible to see how these balled-up scraps of paper represent Doctor Reefy himself (both literally and figuratively), and show how he has turned in upon himself following his wife's death. The paper pills represent the doctor because are literally...
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