Eudora Welty

I really didn’t enjoy reading “Why I live @ the P.O.” (Although I usually appreciate almost everything we read). But, I could not really get in touch with why I didn’t like it. Maybe it was because the characters seemed to act so immature and petty about everything. The sisters (both adult women) were constantly bickering and their mother and other older family members acted just as childish. After reading it a few times I assume Welty intended for most of this to be humorous. However, there seems to be no real message to the story. It doesn’t appear to be tackling any problems or making a point about some issue (unless she’s trying to make a point about the pitfalls of sibling rivalry).

I found a link to a recording of Welty reading part of this story. It really helps to hear the dialogue out load. Welty’s southern accent mimics what I’m sure she wanted her characters to sound like. http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061124198/Essential_Welty_Unabridged_CD/index.aspx And, I found a great biography at: http://www.eudorawelty.org/bio.html These resources definitely helped me. But, I’m not sure if I have a better appreciation for the story yet.