Analysis Of Eudora Welty's Why I Live At The P. O

750 Words3 Pages

Since the beginning of the written language, the reader's perception of a literary work has been based on their interpretation of how the story was portrayed. Differing points of view within the story generate diverse interpretations among readers. From Shakespeare to Faulkner, the aspect of differing viewpoints allows each story to convey contrasting feelings to the reader. In Eudora Welty’s Why I Live at the P.O., she uses a first-person view to reinforce this idea. The attitude of the narrator, sister, is biased in many respects to further her agenda. The slanted viewpoint of sister contributes to the story through her need for personal attention, the empathy the reader has for sister, and the inaccurate representation of the entire story. From the beginning of the story, sister’s need for attention is apparent. She is disgusted that …show more content…

By examining the story and listening to sisters viewpoint, the reader can speculate that emotions played a tremendous role in the story. This classic case of jealousy is not fueled by pure facts but rather high emotions and immense anger. The combination of these two elements makes the narrator's version of the story seem inaccurate. However, the narrator was still mistreated to a certain degree, but not the level of injustice to which she is describing throughout the story. Eudora Welty’s Why I Live at the P.O. is a story that is filled with mistreatment. Both Stella-Rondo and Sister are guilty of wrongdoing. Everyone who has a sibling can find similarities between this story and their own life. Countless times throughout life many siblings do not get along, but making rash decisions based on anger is not the path to take. Sister’s point of view throughout the story is what leads to the outcome. Without this viewpoint, the meaning of the narrative might have been entirely