Dark Laughter 1925 is a novel by Sherwood Anderson. Inspired by his own decision to abandon his family and career in order to establish himself as a professional writer Anderson explores the guilts routines desires and disappointments driving the lives of many Americans in the earlytwentieth century. Although he is known today for his story collection Winesburg Ohio a pioneering work of Modernist fiction admired for its plainspoken language and psychological detail Andersons Dark Laughter was his only bestseller. Inspired by the stream of consciousness style of James Joyces Ulysses Anderson produced a novel that remains controversial for its depictions of race class and sexuality. Bruce Dudley stood near a window that was covered with flecks of paint and through which could be faintly seen first a pile of empty boxes then a more or less littered factory yard running down to a steep bluff and beyond the brown waters of the Ohio River. Bruce a factory worker in Old Harbor Indiana is your average working man. He lives a simple life keeps a low profile spends his money at the bar with his friends and tries not to get fired. As far as anyone knows there is nothing special about him whatsoever he is a drifter who found his way to Old Harbor by chance and settled down to make himself some money. But Bruce was born in Old Harbor raised on its streets and educated in its schools he lived most of his life by another name John Stockton Indiana native turned Chicago reporter. Married with kids he was happy as far as anyone could tell. Up until the day he left he was still John Stockton but the change that came over him late in life was too great to resist. He needed a new name a new life. He wanted to start over in the place where he began. When an opportunity comes to work as a gardener for the factory owners wife Bruce soon finds it impossible to resist her brazen advances. Dark Laughter is a tale of guilt identity and shame from master storyteller Sherwood Anderson. With a b