Winesburg, Ohio is a lonely work. One of the most important themes in the novel is that of isolation, and Anderson's tone reflects this feeling of loneliness and the sense of sadness and confusion that can result from alienation.
The strained, mournful tone that defines this kind of loneliness can be found at the end of "Queer," when Elmer confronts George:
Elmer Cowley danced with fury beside the groaning train in the darkness on the station platform. Lights leaped into the air and bobbed up and down before his eyes. Taking the two ten-dollar bills from his pocket he thrust them into George Willard’s hand. “Take them,” he cried. “I don’t want them. Give them to father. I stole them.” With a snarl of rage he turned and his long arms began to flay the air. Like one struggling for release from hands that held him he struck out, hitting George Willard blow after blow on the breast, the neck, the mouth. The young reporter rolled over on the platform half unconscious, stunned by the terrific force of the blows.
George Willard is only trying to help Elmer and, in fact, is the sole person in the town of Winesburg who has shown the capacity to be kind to Elmer. But in the world of Winesburg, Ohio, even kindness is taken, or internalized, as caged hostility, and residents like Elmer continue to unwittingly alienate themselves as well as each other.
