Winesburg, Ohio

by

Sherwood Anderson

Louise Bentley Character Analysis

The only child of Jesse Bentley. Jesse resents Louise for being female, as he wanted a son instead of a daughter to help him fulfill his prophetic mission of serving God. As a result, Louise is neglected growing up and craves love and acceptance. She goes to live with Albert Hardy and his children John, Mary, and Harriet as a teenager so that she can attend Winesburg High School. She is ostracized by Mary and Harriet and is just as unhappy in Winesburg as she was on the Bentley farm. Louise decides to form a connection with John Hardy, hoping that a relationship with him will give her the affection and understanding she has always wanted. Louise and John Hardy begin a passionate love affair as teenagers and marry out of fear that Louise may be pregnant. When it turns out that the pregnancy was a false alarm, Louise becomes resentful of John and her behavior becomes erratic and violent. After she has their son David, she neglects him because she is unsure whether she wants to be a mother. Louise believes that David’s maleness alone will grant him everything he wants in life. When David is twelve years old, she allows him to go live with his grandfather Jesse on the Bentley farm because she believes her son is better off without her.

Louise Bentley Quotes in Winesburg, Ohio

The Winesburg, Ohio quotes below are all either spoken by Louise Bentley or refer to Louise Bentley. 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:
Coming of Age, Independence, and Manhood Theme Icon
).
9. Godliness, Part III: Surrender Quotes

It seemed to her that between herself and all the other people in the world, a wall had been built up and that she was living just on the edge of some warm inner circle of life that must be quite open and understandable to others. She became obsessed with the thought that it wanted but a courageous act on her part to make all of her association with people something quite different, and that it was possible by such an act to pass into a new life as one opens a door and goes into a room.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Jesse Bentley, Louise Bentley, John Hardy, Albert Hardy, Harriet Hardy, Mary Hardy
Page Number: 73
Explanation and Analysis:
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Louise Bentley Quotes in Winesburg, Ohio

The Winesburg, Ohio quotes below are all either spoken by Louise Bentley or refer to Louise Bentley. 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:
Coming of Age, Independence, and Manhood Theme Icon
).
9. Godliness, Part III: Surrender Quotes

It seemed to her that between herself and all the other people in the world, a wall had been built up and that she was living just on the edge of some warm inner circle of life that must be quite open and understandable to others. She became obsessed with the thought that it wanted but a courageous act on her part to make all of her association with people something quite different, and that it was possible by such an act to pass into a new life as one opens a door and goes into a room.

Related Characters: The Narrator (speaker), Jesse Bentley, Louise Bentley, John Hardy, Albert Hardy, Harriet Hardy, Mary Hardy
Page Number: 73
Explanation and Analysis: