“Why I Live at the P.O.,” by Eudora Welty, tells a story of the difficulties a girl comes across when her sister's comes back into her life. The author uses a first-person point of view to provoke a sense of sympathy from the reader. The narrator of the story is told only from the Sister's point of view and describes Stella as being ruined and severely turning everybody against her. While telling this store Sister exposes her own character as well as many family secrets.
From the Sister’s point of view in the beginning of the story the reader has sympathy for Sister because of the way she described how her younger sister turned her family against her. Later on in the story we start to see that these conflicts were perpetuated by Sister herself. …show more content…
Sister puts her attention in Uncle Rondo, saying he’s always been kind to her, making the reader believe that Uncle Rondo is her last hope and feeds into Sister’s need to be appreciated and attended to. The affection of Uncle Rondo is turned against Sister at the dinner table when Stella-Rondo changes Sister’s words from a conversation they had before, and Uncle Rondo gets angry. Consequently, Uncle Rondo sets off firecrackers in Sister’s room the next morning; bringing Sister to her breaking point. Uncle Rondo sets off fireworks in Sister's room the following morning; conveying Sister to her breaking point. Sister gets anguished and is feels defeated in her own home and she says, “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). She believes that her family feels no sympathy or empathy for her, When it is Sister who has not shown sympathy or empathy in the story. Now that she has no one else’s attention and being at limits with her inner self conflicts, she takes things in her home she feels belong to her. It is clear that what Sister has taken from her home was actually pieces of a life that she had, for example the “First-Aid Remedies Calendar” which may be a sign that she needs some emotional first-aid of her own. Sister tries to solidify the truth about her stay at the post office by making the statement, “But here I am, and here I’ll stay. I want the world to know I’m happy.” (Welty). Yet, the reality of the situation is that as an attention-seeker herself Sister will not be content living in isolation for very long; as shown in this phrase, “And that’s the last I’ve laid eyes on any of my family or my family laid eyes on me for five solid days and nights.”
From the Sister’s point of view in the beginning of the story the reader has sympathy for Sister because of the way she described how her younger sister turned her family against her. Later on in the story we start to see that these conflicts were perpetuated by Sister herself. …show more content…
Sister puts her attention in Uncle Rondo, saying he’s always been kind to her, making the reader believe that Uncle Rondo is her last hope and feeds into Sister’s need to be appreciated and attended to. The affection of Uncle Rondo is turned against Sister at the dinner table when Stella-Rondo changes Sister’s words from a conversation they had before, and Uncle Rondo gets angry. Consequently, Uncle Rondo sets off firecrackers in Sister’s room the next morning; bringing Sister to her breaking point. Uncle Rondo sets off fireworks in Sister's room the following morning; conveying Sister to her breaking point. Sister gets anguished and is feels defeated in her own home and she says, “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). She believes that her family feels no sympathy or empathy for her, When it is Sister who has not shown sympathy or empathy in the story. Now that she has no one else’s attention and being at limits with her inner self conflicts, she takes things in her home she feels belong to her. It is clear that what Sister has taken from her home was actually pieces of a life that she had, for example the “First-Aid Remedies Calendar” which may be a sign that she needs some emotional first-aid of her own. Sister tries to solidify the truth about her stay at the post office by making the statement, “But here I am, and here I’ll stay. I want the world to know I’m happy.” (Welty). Yet, the reality of the situation is that as an attention-seeker herself Sister will not be content living in isolation for very long; as shown in this phrase, “And that’s the last I’ve laid eyes on any of my family or my family laid eyes on me for five solid days and nights.”