As we wrap up Winesburg, Ohio, we have encountered our first set of stories which tell the story of Kate Swift, George Willard’s old teacher. Kate is first introduced in the story The Strength of God, where Reverend Curtis Hartman, a man married to a woman who has a repressed sexuality, which in turn makes him even more repressed views Kate as this gift from God. He first sees her smoking a cigarette and lying on her bed. The fact that she is smoking means that she is perceived by Curtis as having the control, cigars are of course a phallic symbol because why not, it looks sort of like a rod. This sudden power she has over Curtis is shown in the passion that he uses in his sermons. Also, he views her through a chip in a stain glass window, the chip was on the heel of the boy in the window. This shows that she is his Achilles heel, which means that she is his weakness, she completely takes over his mind without her knowledge. It is not the actual nature nor appearance of Kate Swift that actually attracts Hartman, we learn in The Teacher that she has a very unappealing figure and some form of skin condition. Rather that if it was not her, it would be any woman. Hartman believes that this is a test from God which means that he feels that she is divine which is an example of idealization, where he views his feelings as totally rational and that this is all okay.
In actuality, the real story behind Kate Swift is much more sad. Similar to Wing Biddlebaum in the beginning of the book, she has an urge to pull the greatness out from her students, she most notably noticed this spark when she had George Willard. However, in her head, her want for emotional connection turns physical when she begins meeting with George Willard. This makes her feel very conflicted, which is why Reverend Hartman sees her crying naked in her room. George is ok with this and when she turns physical is ok with it. However, the last time they meet, she embraces him and then comes to her senses and beat him and runs away. George is now conflicted and feels as though he missed something that she was saying about him. When in actuality, what he is missing is that she just wants to make him the best he can be and to help nurture his creativity.
Oh Freud, an educated psychoanalyst with the same outlook of rod shaped objects as your standard middle school student. Of course everything is a phallic symbol, especially cigars. Kate Swift smoking a cigarette must obviously indicate she has some sort masculine power to her, and that power is rather misinterpreted by Reverend Curtis Hartman as the absolute power of God. However, Kate Swift is really quite an average woman. Although peeped by Reverend Curtis Hartman and sexually confused George Willard, Kate Swift is very much a normal, not God. Kate Swift is not even that pretty, given her skin condition most likely caused by smallpox. Who did not have smallpox back in those days? Anyway, the fact that Kate Swift was naked and crying in her room (which Reverend Curtis Hartman should not be looking into whatsoever) proves her humanity. Kate Swift’s main goal in Winesburg, Ohio is to be a teacher, but she seeks someone to connect to her emotionally as well. On the fact that she is unable to connect to her students in the way without being confused over their connection rather indicates that she is very much not the Godly image that Reverend Curtis Hartman should be seeking.
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