
How would you adjust to the cultural and social aspects of the big city after growing up on a farm out in the country? In “Loneliness” by Sherwood Anderson, Enoch Robinson grows up in a rural setting on a farm, and this social, as well as geographic isolation shapes his lonely character and socially awkward life as an adult. In addition to being raised on a farm, the main things that contribute to Enoch’s lonely and dreadful adulthood are the fact that he has one parent, Mrs. Robinson, as well as the fact that he lives his life as a youth in a quiet and reserved manner. These characteristics of Enoch’s childhood isolate him from society at an early age, and as a result of having a single parent, force Enoch to be at home most of the time and stuck by himself. As a result, Enoch finds it hard to interact with others growing up who might travel around with their families and live in town together, therefore this situation has a negative effect on how he lives his life as an adult.

Enoch’s childhood consists of living in a rural area and this has an effect on the loneliness and social isolation that he experiences in his adult life. “He was the son of Mrs. Al Robinson who once owned a farm on a side road leading off Trunion Pike, east of Winesburg and two miles beyond the town limits” (Anderson 91). Enoch grows up in rural setting in which he interacts with few people, since he is on a farm rather than in a neighborhood or an urban setting. This prevents Enoch from getting acclimated to society and interacting with other kids. “The farm-house was painted brown and the blinds to all of the windows facing the road were kept closed” (Anderson 91). The fact that the blinds on the windows were kept closed restricts Enoch from seeing other kids outside and the ebb and flow of daily life, while people on the outside looking at the house are deterred from going near it because of the blinds being closed and the farmhouse’s homely look. Not being able to see outside or any sunlight while inside would definitely affect the mind, in this case Enoch’s mental state is affected by the isolation and closed-in atmosphere. This further indicates the kind of lonesome and closed-in childhood that Enoch lives on the farm. The isolation of the farm and its sparsely populated surroundings make it all the more difficult for Enoch when he moves to New York City and tries to adjust to the busy, urban environment around him. Aside from growing up on the farm, being raised by one parent further leads to Enoch’s loneliness and detachment from society later in life. 

The fact that Enoch’s mother raises him without a father also affects his lonely and socially awkward adult life. Mrs. Robinson is unable to take Enoch around and introduce him to new people and things, because she has a farm and animals to take care of. Without a father, Enoch is on his own to go out and socialize with others, which is hard for him to do. Anderson writes, “Then Mrs. Al Robinson died on the farm near Winesburg, and he got eight thousand dollars from the bank that acted as trustee of her estate. That took Enoch out of the world of men altogether” (95). The death of Mrs. Robinson resulted in Enoch losing his only role model and parental figure. This causes Enoch much pain and depression on top of his already mounting loneliness. From there things only get worse for Enoch. Anderson writes, “He began to feel choked and walled in by the life in the apartment, and to feel toward his wife and even toward his children as he had felt concerning the friends who once came to visit him” (95). Enoch feels bound to his marriage and grows uncomfortable with living in the apartment with his wife and kids. He goes as far as to tell his wife and kids that he cannot live in the apartment any longer and gives them the money he gained from the bank that is trustee of Mrs. Robinson’s estate before walking out on them. Never having a true sense of family while growing up ultimately affects the way Enoch handles being a part of one as an adult, and this coupled with the loss of his mother sends his life into a tailspin. 

In addition to being raised by one parent, Enoch Robinson lives his childhood in rural Ohio as a reserved and quiet youth, and these personal traits stick with him as an adult. “Old citizens remembered him as a quiet, smiling youth inclined to silence” (Anderson 92). Enoch mostly keeps to himself as a kid and has few friends due to his reserved nature and lack of socializing with other kids. These personal characteristics continue to stay with Enoch as an adult as he has trouble socializing with others, i.e. the artists, who gather to socialize in Enoch’s room as he sits alone in a corner with his mouth shut. Anderson writes, “Enoch wanted to talk too but he didn’t know how. He was too excited to talk coherently. When he tried he sputtered and stammered and his voice sounded strange and squeaky to him. That made him stop talking” (93). Enoch really wants to be able to converse with the artists but he is holding himself back from doing so. He seems to feel insecure and shy around the artists, and he lacks the confidence to be able to speak his mind. In a way, this shyness and awkwardness can be traced back to his childhood, specifically when he would walk to school. “He walked in the middle of the road when he came into town and sometimes read a book.” (Anderson 92). As a youth, Enoch is unaccustomed to social norms due in large part to growing up away from people and society. This social awkwardness follows him throughout his life, as he struggles to make sense of people and the real world while living in New York. Enoch’s shy demeanor and reserved character stick with him from childhood to adulthood.

As one reads “Loneliness” it is evident that the way Enoch Robinson grows up mends the man he becomes later in life. Enoch’s early life as a shy and quiet kid, together with the fact that he’s raised by a single mother and grows up on a rural farm in Ohio, ultimately affects the life he lives as an adult.
