Winesburg, Ohio Lesson Plan

Like many of the characters we've seen in Winesburg, Tandy Head has an emotional outburst. But unlike many others, it only happens once as a child and appears to be her defining quality. What drives Tandy to have this outburst? Why does the man make such an impression on her? What is significant about her father's response?

The story never tells us why exactly Tandy has her outburst, which is important. It suggests that Tandy cannot be understood by her one quality, the "truth" defines so many of the characters. Likewise, it isn't completely clear why she chose to take the name "Tandy" after the man's rant. It could be to live up to his ideas or to contradict them, being...