Themes In A Visit Of Charity

A Visit of Charity The literary fiction “A Visit of Charity” is a deceptively simple story. Marian, is a young Campfire Girl, who dutifully visits an “Old Ladies’ Home” (122) to gain points for her charity work. Although, one would expect at first that Eudora Welty’s story would be all about charity, care, and being noble in the process of doing so. A closer look at the characters’ real motives, along with the settings and imagery reveals that the visit becomes one of selfishness which blinds people to the real needs of others, rather than being truly charitable and noble. There’s an unsettling lack of empathy, seemingly on the author’s part. Yet, this emotional aloofness is quickly established as the story’s central theme. Seclusion,

The heavy door seemed like a prison door that was meant to keep inmates inside. The Nurse on the other hand who was attending the visitor’s desk was dressed in a white uniform. She was as cold in her reception, similar to the day that was cold outside. Marian does not tell the nurse her true intentions of being there except that she was a campfire girl wanting to visit some old lady. When asked by the nurse in a manly voice “Acquainted with any of our residents?” (122), Marian nervously pushing her hair behind and stammers “With any old ladies? No – but – that is, any of them will do”. (122) showing that the both of them were really not concerned about the

At the same time, another claw to match drew her all the way into the room, and the next moment the door closed behind her” (123) implying the possessive nature of the first old lady. The room was tiny with a lot of furniture and “the room smelled wet even the bare floor” (123), a smell of dampness and decay permeated through the air. The window shade was down, it was dark and the only door was now shut for Marian. Although the room was full of furniture the place and the inmates were stripped of any life that Marian was acquainted with and was like the bare