Analysis Of Sister Rivalry In Why I Live At The P. O

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Sister Rivalry “Why I Live at the P.O. was written by Eudora Welty in 1941. “Why I Live at the P.O.” takes place on the Fourth of July in China Grove, Mississippi. Eudora Welty born in 1909 and passed away from pneumonia in 2001, in Jackson, Mississippi. During the Great Depression Welty worked as a photographer. “Her inspiration behind writing Why I Live at the P.O. came from a photograph she took of a woman ironing in the back of a small post office” (Sexton). Sister, the first-person narrator, in the short story “Why I Live at the P.O., causes external conflicts within her family as a result of her inner-conflicts, such as lack of self-confidence and a demanding need to be the center of attention” (Sexton). This story is written in Sister’s …show more content…

She tells Papa Daddy that Sister ridiculed his beard and Uncle Rondo that Sister laughed at him for wearing her pink kimono. Uncle Rondo then punishes Sister by throwing firecrackers into her bedroom the next morning. Sister often appeals to the reader to witness what she actually said. Throughout the story, the family supports Stella Rondo, reminding Sister that at least Stella left home and managed to find a man. Sister reminds them that as China Grove's postmistress of Mississippi's second smallest post office she has her own form of independence and has control of the family's communication with the outside world. Sister casts aspersions about Shirley T.'s state of mind because she has not spoken a word since her arrival. She reminds Mama of how Mr. Whitaker used to drink. Mama approaches Shirley T. who starts to sing Popeye the Sailor Man, proving Sister wrong. An argument builds concerning the parentage of Shirley T. and the whereabouts of Mr. Whitaker. Sister insists that Stella Rondo has been deserted by Mr. Whitaker. The family refuses to contemplate this possibility. By the end of the story, Sister has become so infuriated by the apparent favoritism shown towards Stella Rondo …show more content…

Jesus tells his disciples a parable of the Prodigal son. But first, there is this family that has two sons. The youngest son asks his father for his inheritance. The youngest son then took the inheritance and ran away to spend it all. Then he ran into trouble. He ran out of money so he came back home. Instead of being punished he was welcomed with open arms. The older brother was furious. The older brother does everything right and never gets welcomed the way his brother does. This relates a lot to “Why I live at the P.O”. The oldest sister was getting along fine with her family until the youngest sister (Stella Rondo) decided to come back. They were excited to see Stella Rondo; Sister was jealous. Sister wants all the attention not the other way around. Sister then becomes petty and try to turn the family against Stella Rondo but turns out that Stella-Rondo becomes that master of the game. Sister tries to accuse Stella Rondo of lying but the family does not buy it. They do not believe sister but according to sister they believe Stella Rondo and rather take Stella Rondo’s side. Sister accuses her of lying but how do we know that sister is not the one lying. So at the end of the story Stella Rondo has turned everyone in the family against Sister. Sister got tired of all the ridicule and decides to take “what was hers” and leave. Sister then goes to the P.O. (post office) and decides to live

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