The Standard Oil agent in Winesburg. Joe is a tiny, highly energetic man who regularly accosts people to tell them about his wild, ranting ideas. Wanting to earn the respect of other men in town, Joe starts a successful baseball team as well as a love affair with Sarah King. The pair’s disparate appearances make their relationship a bizarre spectacle for the rest of the town. Although Sarah’s family is rumored to have a dangerous reputation, Joe wins over her father and brother with his typical “tidal wave of words.”
Joe Welling Quotes in Winesburg, Ohio
The Winesburg, Ohio quotes below are all either spoken by Joe Welling or refer to Joe Welling. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
11. A Man of Ideas
Quotes
“Let’s take decay. Now what is decay? It’s fire. It burns up wood and other things…This sidewalk here and this feed store, the trees down the street there—they’re all on fire. They’re burning up. Decay you see is always going on…The world is on fire. Start your pieces in the paper that way. Just say in big letters ‘The World is On Fire.’ That will make ‘em look up.”
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Joe Welling Quotes in Winesburg, Ohio
The Winesburg, Ohio quotes below are all either spoken by Joe Welling or refer to Joe Welling. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
11. A Man of Ideas
Quotes
“Let’s take decay. Now what is decay? It’s fire. It burns up wood and other things…This sidewalk here and this feed store, the trees down the street there—they’re all on fire. They’re burning up. Decay you see is always going on…The world is on fire. Start your pieces in the paper that way. Just say in big letters ‘The World is On Fire.’ That will make ‘em look up.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
