Why I Live at the P.O by Eudora Welty is presented to the reader in the perspective of Sister, the narrator, who never mentioned her name in the story. She communicates to the reader that she is the victim of the absurdity of her family. However, her sister, Stella-Rondo, would bear a contrasting viewpoint of her time reunited with the family, and she would convince the reader to empathize with her. The mother of the two sisters also would have expressed the accounts of the story in a different manner, and be more sympathetic to Stella-Rondo than Sister. Each character seems to have a similar perspective which is failing to realize how their actions affect actions of other characters. The similarities and differences of perspectives can be …show more content…
During the story, Sister over dramatizes the actions of her family and conveys to the reader that the family turning on her is not her fault at all. While Sister communicates that everyone in the family is crazy but her, she is not much different from them. Sister will often express her thoughts out-loud and this causes her family to turn on her. When Stella-Rondo returns with her adopted child, the rest of the family is excited to see them and are sympathetic to Stella-Rondo’s recent divorce. However, Sister is displeased, and questions Stella-Rondo that the child is not adopted. The rest of the family probably realizes that the child is not adopted too, but they are aware that Stella-Rondo has just been through a divorce. Sister’s questioning of her sister causes Stella-Rondo to retaliate by telling Pappa-Daddy that Sister believes he should cut of his beard. Sister seems to believe that Stella-Rondo’s actions were just to anger her and to establish supremacy again. While this may be true, she never realizes that Stella-Rondo would of never of turned Pappa-Daddy against her if she did not question her at a poor time. Sister makes several more accounts against her sister in the story. She will think out loud and not think before she speaks. She should not be so surprised when her family turned against her, but she never realizes how her actions affect how the others treated her and …show more content…
She would tell the story as a victim of divorce and Sister’s behavior. Stella-Rondo would have been outraged when her sister questions about her daughter and she would probably be over dramatic like Sister. In her viewpoint, she would see that her retaliations are appropriate and that she needs to retaliate and Sister deserves to be punished. However, she also fails to realize how her actions affected Sister. Her retaliations encouraged Sister to turn the family against her. Stella-Rondo also seems to not realize how jealous she made sister by marrying Mr. Whitaker and having a child with him. If Stella-Rondo realized how much her actions affected Sister, she would have realized she should be more sympathetic towards her
Throughout his life, the only relationship he was able to maintain was with his sister. On the other hand, his relationship with his parents was very strained; At one point he declared that his "entire childhood seem like a fiction"(123) due to his dad’s infidelity.
I was the oldest child of two by three and a half years which led to a sense of my knowing best– as well as my sister’s habit of thinking she did. Like most elder siblings, I became practiced at contradicting whatever statement she made. I took pleasure both in “winning” our squabbles and in the act of learning how to win. I feel certain that, had I been an only child, I would not disagree so often as I do. Nevertheless I was not angry or contrary; I tended to confine my audible arguments to my sister or close
In Why I Live at the P.O. something that I discovered to be very ordinary was the confrontation of Stella-Rondo telling lies about the narrator (sister). There are two instances when this happens, the first lie is Stella-Rondo says “Papa-Daddy, Sister says she fails to understand why you don’t cut off your beard” (438 Welty). The second lie is when Stella-Rondo says, “Sister has been devoting this solid afternoon to sneering out my bedroom window at the way you look” (443 Welty). By Stella-Rondo pinning these lies on her sister it turns the family members against her sister and for the family to favor Stella-Rondo over sister. It all started too with sister assuming that Stella-Rondo’s baby is not adopted “She was the spit-image of Papa-Daddy….
Throughout the story, it has been Sister who has tried to persuade the reader to take her side in the debacle with her family. The truth is that it was Sister who caused the entire dispute that is going on with her obsession to compete with her sister that goes back to her childhood where she feels that Stella-Rondo is spoiled and continues to be spoiled up to the end following Sister’s desperate need for attention.
When two siblings are born together, and are close in age, many people wonder whether they will be the same or different altogether. A “River Runs through it” shows two brothers who grew up in the same household, and grew up loving to do the same activity fly fishing. Both brothers were raised in a very strict presbyterian household. Norman is the older brother, and he is much more responsible and family orientated. Paul is the irresponsible younger brother; Paul as an adult was not at home much anymore. Both brothers were loved equally as children, but how they view and use love is what separates them. Paul and Norman differ in behavior and character.
In the beginning of the story, Sister explains how she is enjoying time with her family members up until the time her younger sister, Stella-Rondo, comes home for a visit. Sister describes Stella-Rondo as the spoiled one in the family and a wife to a man whose name is Mr. Whitaker. Sister shows her true colors when she mentions to the readers, but not to her own sister, that “Of course I went with Mr. Whitaker first, when he first appeared here … and Stella-Rondo broke us up” (41). Stella-Rondo brings a two-year-old girl, Shirley-T, with her and explains to the family that the girl is adopted. The family questions what happens when Stella-Rondo said that she and Mr. Whitaker got a divorce. The fact that Stella-Rondo never mentions the adoption to the family or the reason for the divorce, causes the family to
Branching from that, Stella has an inner conflict because she does not know whether to side with her husband or her sister in each situation. Blanche and Mitch have a conflict because their original plans of getting married are destroyed when Stanley reveals her past.... ... middle of paper ... ... Blanche came to town on a streetcar because she was ostracized in her old home as a result of her desires.
Lori was the first one to leave for New York City after graduation, later, Jeanette followed her and moved into her habitat with her. Jeanette promptly found a job as a reporter, the two sisters were both living their dream life away from their miserable parents. It wasn’t difficult for them since they cultured to be independent and tough. Everything was turning out great for them and decided to tell their younger siblings to move in with them, and they did. Jeanette was finally happy for once, enjoying the freedom she had and not having to be moved every two weeks. She then found a guy whom she married and accustomed her lifestyle. Furthermore, her parents still couldn’t have the funds for a household or to stay in stable occupation, so they decided to move in with Jeanette and her siblings. Jeanette at that moment felt like she was never going to have an ordinary life because her parents were going to shadow her.
She ponders the importance of what her sister were fighting for, and in the end, whether or not their relentless efforts were made in
She appeared to be rude to her family and jealous of her Stella-Rondo. The rest of the family saw how she was judgemental towards others. Even though Sister said Stella-Rondo lied about what she said towards Papa-Daddy and Uncle Rondo, she still judged her sister for her daughter who she did not believe was adopted. Without an account from another point of view, the truth of the situation cannot be revealed. Stella-Rondo could potentially be telling the truth about what the narrator said about her family members. This alternate truth could be believable because of the untruthful narrator. The story is told in her view because she is the one creating drama and attempting to give reasons for why she felt leaving her family was right. The narrator’s view is limiting because the story only presents one characters assessment of the situation. From other character’s perspectives, they do not see her true motive for leaving the
The short story "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty, is a descriptive story of a grandmother's difficult journey, for a grandson she loves. Her devotion to her grandson and wanting to provide him with a better lifestyle, was her motivation to overcome these trials. On this trip, Phoenix Jackson, the grandmother, struggles against old age, nature, and reality.
Their conclusion is that family dynamics have a key role in creating the context where sibling
...s that her family will come to her and beg her to return home. When she realizes that they are not going to do this, she will run back to them, and life will go on as she has always known it.
Stella represents an important part in this drama by providing a contrast to how life can change people when they go down different paths. In contrast to her sister, Stella is bound to love. Although she fell in love with a primitive, common man, she most definitely loves him. Stella desires to make Stanley happy and live a beautiful life together. She wants to find peace between her sister and her husband, yet instead she finds conflict afflicting her on both sides.
But, there was always something nagging at the back of her mind, weighing her heart down. Despite all the carefree, happiness she felt living with my grandparents, there was one thing that tore at her heart; her son, KuKhong [Hokkien for great-uncle]. He constantly threw the mistake of trusting her younger sister in her face, rubbing salt into open wounds, refusing to let her forget. He relentlessly complained about their fall from riches even though he was making a decent living as an accountant. He took no responsibility in looking after Jhor Jhor, even before he married and moved out.