What is the definition of "grotesque" in Winesburg, Ohio? How do you relate it to two characters in the book?

A "grotesque," as used by Sherwood Anderson in
Winesburg, Ohio, is a character who "takes one of the many truths
in life and pursues it obsessively." Some of these obsessions include "freedom, lost
love, sex, innocence, age, power, money, or indecency." The character's fixation on one
or more of these has the effect of isolating him or her from others in society. The
grotesque is alone, unconnected, and ultimately unhappy and
unfulfilled.

Wing Biddlebaum, the main character in the
story "Hands," is a grotesque because of his hands. Biddlebaum uses his hands to an
unusual degree in expressing himself; his hands are always in motion. When Biddlebaum,
who is a teacher at a boys school in Pennsylvania, uses his hands to communicate his
feelings to his students, he is branded a pervert, and run out of town. He ends up in
Winesburg, Ohio, tormented by his own hands, which prevent him from connecting with
others, and doom him to living life in isolation from those around
him.

Elizabeth Willard, the mother of George, the central
character in the book, is another example of a grotesque. Elizabeth's growth as an
individual is stunted by her own unfulfilled dreams. She is an unhappy, bitter woman,
and, unsatisfied with her own life, she tries to make sure her son's life is better.
Elizabeth Willard really does have the best interests of her son at heart, but at times
her own desires get in the way of what is best for him. Near the end of her life, she
almost finds fulfillment in her own life when she develops a brief romantic relationship
with Dr. Reefy. Their happiness is short-lived, however, bacause of her own obsessions;
 soon afterwards, Elizabeth suffers a stroke and dies, never having told her son that
she has saved a good amount of money for him to use in making a better life for
himself.