Submitted by: Submitted by karthik8817
Views: 10
Words: 1446
Pages: 6
Category: English Composition
Date Submitted: 12/06/2015 01:28 AM
Literary Analysis
Word Count: 1405
What makes a person leave his own family? In the short story hy I live at the P.O
W
,
Eudora Welty shows how people can be emotionally disconnected from their family if their
views are not respected. The story is narrated by a young woman who works at a post office in
China Grove, Mississippi during the late 1920's. This woman is referred to as Sister in the story
and lives with her grandfather, mother, younger sister, niece and uncle. The commonality in all
the characters that interact with Sister lies in the fact that they do not see her as an important
individual. In the story, Sister views her family as unsupportive and hostile, since they do not
respect her thoughts or acknowledge her service for the family. So at last, she leaves them to live
at the post office.
After reading the story, a person might think that Sister leaves the family due to the
rivalry with StellaRondo. However, there are other reasons that make Sister move out of the
house. To understand Sister's behavior, it is necessary to know her role in the family. Generally,
people familiar with social conditions of early 1900’s would expect Mama and StellaRondo to
take care of the family since they were married and did not have jobs unlike Sister who was
working at the post office. But during the entire course of the story, Sister takes care of everyone
in the family. For example, Sister explains her role in the family by saying, “There I was over the
hot stove, trying to stretch two chickens over five people and a completely unexpected child into
the bargain” (1). It is important to note that Sister was not cooking for pleasure or love of
cooking. If she really liked cooking she would never emphasize the phrase “[I] was over the hot
stove” (1). By explaining the unpleasant atmosphere in the kitchen, she informs readers about the ...