Everyone wants a perfect family, but nothing is ever perfect. The family in “Why I Live at the P.O.” is most definitely less than perfect. When Stella-Rondo returns to her old home after leaving her husband and bringing her small child who she claims is adopted, much conflict in the family increases. Stella-Rondo turns every family member living in the household against Sister, her older sister, and every family member betrays Sister by believing the lies Stella-Rondo tells about Sister to them. Through much turmoil and distress, Sister becomes so overwhelmed with the unending conflict that she feels she must leave her home and live at the post office. In “Why I Live at the P.O.,” Eudora Welty strongly implies that the function of the family can rapidly decline when family members refuse to do certain things they should and do certain things they should not through her use of point of view, symbolism, and setting. Since Sister was affected the most by certain actions of the family, Welty narrated this short story through Sister’s point of view to show how the function of the family declined through these actions. Sister was greatly affected when her sister broke the bonds of sisterhood by stealing her boyfriend and marrying him. Secondly, Sister was affected by the favoritism shown by her family towards her younger sister. Since her sister was favored more than her, this caused her to be jealous of her sister. For example, Sister shows a lot of jealousy by the tone she uses when describing what Stella-Rondo did with the bracelet that their grandfather gave her. Sister’s description was, “She’d always had anything in the world she wanted and then she’d throw it away. Papa-Daddy gave her this gorgeous Add-a-Pearl necklace when sh... ... middle of paper ... ... scenario of her sister coming to the post office and begging, and at the end of this unrealistic scenario, she clearly declares that she will not have anything to do with her sister. By doing this, she rules out reconciling with her sister and gives up on ever having a relationship with her sister. It seems that, now, Sister is bitter. Most importantly, when Sister says, “But here I am, and here I’ll stay” (49), Welty shows the severe need for all families to work at being a healthy functional family by ending the short story with Sister being alone and bitter at the post office. Human beings need other human beings for survival; without this, we perish. Works Cited Welty, Eudora. “Why I Live at the P.O.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th ed. New York: Pearson-Prentice, 2010. 40-49. Print.
This story is told from the view of the younger sister, Katie, who learns about life, love and perseverance through the perceptive guidance of her sister Lynn. The two sisters have a bond that makes this story heart touching and holds the 6th-8th grade readers' imagination. The format uses a child's view to gradually introduce readers to topics of prejudice, cultural differences, and hardships. The following is an example from page 34.
... Evidently, Maria Teresa is being selfish and failing to recognize her sister’s bold act in hoping to achieve freedom. Focusing on her own freedom and safety, Maria Teresa loses sight of the kind consideration that she developed in her childhood.
Resilience is necessary to keep families together in tough times. Jeannette answers, ‘“No one’s neglecting us,’” when asked by the child welfare agent about her family (Walls 193). She does not tell him that they are neglecting her because she wants to keep the family together. She grows up with them and does not want to give them up even if her parents, Rex and Rose-Mary, have not provided a very stable and supportive life. After her younger sister, Maureen, leaves for California, Jeanette says, “something in all of us broke that day, and afterward, we no longer had the spirit for family gatherings” (Walls 277). They no longer feel that sense of family and togetherness that had kept them as a family; they always fought back when difficulties arose. Maureen’s
In conclusion, Gloria Naylor and Alice Walker show that sisterhood is possible and can turn out to be a successful relationship among women; most importantly it is the only way that the women in both novels can survive in a patriarchal society. Sisterhood is very necessary because it breaks the barriers that women have in a patriarchal society. It makes an individual stronger, independent and confident in society.
Gainor, J. Ellen., Stanton B. Garner, and Martin Puchner. The Norton Anthology of Drama, Shorter Edition. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.
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
“Why I live at the P.O”, by Eudora Wetly, displays a dysfunctional family in which Sister, the narrator, is often used as a scapegoat. Stella-Rondo, the narrator’s younger sister, ranks the highest in betrayal in perspective of Sister. Stella-Rondo creates constant conflict amongst the narrator in which many issues pursue. Stella-Rondo insists on producing lies to have their family turn against Sister at the same time she retaliates back. Shirley-T., the “adopted” daughter of Stella-Rondo, was placed under the limelight in which Sister questioned whether or not if Shirley-T. was truly adopted. Stella-Rondo exposed a distasteful attitude towards Sister. Eventually Stella-Rondo placed words into
Sister and Stella-Rondo both contribute to the escalating problems that their family has because of them. The power structure of the two individuals leads to a variety of conflicts and arguments. The rest of the family and their relationships are then centered around the way that Sister and Stella-Rondo interact. We see through them that having good relationships with our family brings far more happiness than strife with them
She even says she had a duty to her family and humanity (pg. 29). If both of your brothers die and it is just you and your sister, you would want to keep your sister and you together. That is exactly what she is trying to do in this play. All she wanted to do is keep her family together, her whole family is falling apart and she is just trying to save it.
Fictionalization of kinship operates throughout Clarissa. It is present in Clarissa’s grandfather’s will and persists through Belford’s postscript. The characters in Clarissa must create their own versions of family because their biological relations repeatedly fail them. Clarissa and Lovelace are victims of the absence of paternal authority and the failure of patriarchal succession. They therefore create families that are superior to the natural family. Clarissa and Lovelace, although extremely different characters, must both share the ability to create their own versions of kinship.
Introduction to English Literature. Course Reader. Drama and Poetry. Ed. Patrick Vincent. NE. University of Neuchâtel
When a person is better off than another, it can be best described as being in a more fortunate position or condition of life. Although “better off” can be defined, it is also a matter of opinion. Showing an example of people being better off than others, Ama Ata Aidoo introduces us to two sisters that are completely different from each other. Mercy is the younger sister that works as a typist and lives with her older sister, Connie, and her husband. Much to Connie’s dismay, Mercy has been dating an older man that is well-known to have multiple relationships at one time. A pregnant Connie is married and is also a teacher. Even though Connie disapproves of the men Mercy dates, her situation is not much better due to an unfaithful husband. In “Two Sisters,” the one common theme is that both sisters have negative and positive things in their lives. The men in their lives, Connie’s desire to hold what is dear, and Mercy’s motivation are examples of these negative and positive things.
The main character was transformed due to time taking away from the sister’s past. “ all that stale history still squashed between us 30 years later. It becomes easier every year to think it's too late,” (11-14) There is a certain shift of emotions for the character her, since she reveals the time taken away time from these sisters. 30 years have passed, in which these sister's haven't possibly talked or even seen each other all because their emotions were influenced overtime. “It’s too late.” is just a cover-up hiding the real reason the character’s relationship with her sister has changed. Which is, the main character feeling alone and lost in such a world without having a hand to guide her, 30 years without talking to her sister has changed her views. Yet, even though there is the hatred between these characters, where time has changed their perspectives toward each other. Our main character feels a sense of loneliness; a void that she can't fill. “I want to forgive, find the sister holding my hand.” The character’s view changes overtime because she realizes she wants to forgive and forget what happened in the oast. It takes time but our character She wants to bury the feelings deep inside of her, where she wont have to face them; because her greatest fear is losing her sister for
Clifford Davidson et al Eds. (1984) Drama in the Twentieth Century, Comparative and Critical essays. Ams press Inc.
“I was getting along fine with Mama, Papa-Daddy and Uncle Rondo until my sister Stella-Rondo just separated from her husband and came back home again” (Welty 659). Her sister took away her identity by turning her family against her. Which led to her realizing that something needed to change, she needed to change. This forced her to create a new identity and moved away from her family.