Humor and Pathos in the Essay

"Why I live at the P.O." is told in the first person, so its point-of-view is far more unreliable in character than "A Worn Path." The story makes use of a single character's limited point-of-view to derive humor from family conflicts and the narrator's jealousy of Stella-Rondo. Sister's tone is what makes her story unintentionally funny for the reader. The story's irony is derived from her melodramatic view of her romantic escapades in a small, gossipy town. The tone of the story suggests none of the conflicts of the characters will have long-lasting consequences: these conflicts are a part of everyday family life.

While both Phoenix and Sister may be small-town residents, the setting of both stories shows the different nuances Welty can give to small-town life. A lack of medical care makes Phoenix's life a constant trial, while Sister is constantly surrounded by people who observe one another, and use their observations as ammunition in petty family battles. Both stories show the different facets of small town life -- victimization through hardship and loneliness in the case of Phoenix, and victimization through the inescapability of family relationships in Sister's case.

The themes of Phoenix and Sister's stories are primarily conveyed through Welty's choice of point-of-view.Phoenix cannot tell her own story, because she does not see herself as heroic, only as a woman who is doing what she needs to do, so Welty selects a third-person narrator. Sister's story, in contrast, is told in the first person, because she sees herself as heroic, even though her main problem is merely her romantic conflicts with Stella-Rondo.

However, as funny as Sister may be, Welty still gives her unintentional humor an epic quality, which is evident in the high-pitched emotional tone with which Sister narrates her life. Making epic tales out of small town life is part of Welty's art. That is why she was able to find so much rich material for storytelling in her hometown: in small town life there are many comic and tragic heroes like Sister and Phoenix.

Work Cited

Johnston, Carole Anne. "Eudora Welty." The Mississippi Writer's Page. First published 1998.

Updated 2005. http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/english/ms-writers/dir/welty_eudora/.....