Essay on "Why I Live at the PO by Eudora Welty"

Essay 3 pages (1036 words) Sources: 3

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Eudora Welty's "Why I Live at the P.O." is a convoluted tale of sibling rivalry, jealousy, and mistrust. The reader never quite knows who to believe: Sister the narrator, or her younger sister, Stella-Rondo. Told from the point-of-view of Sister, "Why I Live at the Post Office" manages to retain ambiguity in terms of the identity of Shirley-T and her paternal origin. Writing from Sister's perspective, Welty successfully manipulates the reader and encourages sympathy for the narrator. On the other hand, Sister is a rather unlikeable protagonist. She comes across as being bitter and stubborn. One by one, Sister's family members turn against her to the point where she boldly leaves home to go live in the post office. "Why I Live at the P.O." details the rapid breakdown of love and trust within a family.

Bitter and jealous, Sister starts off her story about how and why she came to live at the post office by illustrating her history with Stella-Rondo. A year younger than her, Stella-Rondo seems always to have been the family favorite and the one with all the looks and popularity. After all, Mr. Whitaker chose Stella-Rondo over Sister, a fact that haunts the narrator. Sister even seems to have distorted the past, when she notes, "and Stella-Rondo broke us up." Later in the story, Sister claims that Mr. Whitaker has actually left Stella-Rondo and not vice-versa. Sister uses Mr. Whitaker against Stella-Rondo at any opportunity because she seethes with jealousy.

The jealousy over Mr. Whitaker is reflected also in Sister's competition with Stella-Rondo over their parents' love. Sister has a sense of paranoia and persecution. She insists that her mother would not have been so pleased to have seen her come home from Illinois with an illegitimate child. Although Mama fervently denies the accusation, Sister continues to foster a sense of persecution and inferiority.

In many ways, Sister is correct in her assumptions. When Stella-Rondo tells lies to both Papa-Daddy and to Uncle Rondo, both men ultimately believe Stella-Rondo instead of Sister. Taking Stella-Rondo's side, they prove Sister is correct in believing that she is a scapegoat. Mama also seems about to sympathize with Sister until Stella-Rondo has Shirley-T. perform a song and dance. At that point, Sister realizes that she is losing what remains of her familial allies.

A lot of what transpires in "Why I Live at the P.O." relates to the unhealthy desire for male approval. In the short story, Stella-Rondo and Sister are in direct competition for men. They first battle over their father, who Sister claims gave Stella-Rondo more gifts. Sister also claims that "She's always had anything in the world she wanted and then she'd throw it away."

Then, Sister and Stella-Rondo compete for their sexual attractiveness. Sister seemed to have once had the attention of Mr. Whitaker, but he chose Stella-Rondo over her. Sister has not gotten over the rejection, and seems to be carrying a grudge against her sister ever since. When Stella-Rondo returns home with what appears to be a baby she had with Mr. Whitaker, Sister is consumed by jealousy. Sister is still… READ MORE

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