This 5 page paper compares and contrasts the stories Why I Live at the P.O. by Eudora Welty and Everyday Use by Alice Walker. The writer argues that the two stories have similar themes and discusses them, and various other elements. Primary sources only.
Name of Research Paper File: RT13_SA312PO.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
is another sister in the family who has taken chances. She was the wild child, and while Sister would stay at home and be meek, it was Stella-Rondo who would
seem to have it all. Yet, Stella-Rondo is a pathetic character. Married to an alcoholic, she tries to raise her child, but finds it difficult. She leaves her husband to
return to the first family home, which propels the sisters to fight. While Sister tries to tarnish Stella-Rondos reputation, it is Sister who perhaps has the most emotional baggage. At
the end, she packs her physical bags and leaves. As the title indicates, Sister moves into the post office. Why is still somewhat of a mystery but one may conclude
that it was sheer sibling rivalry that drove her there. In Alice Walkers Everyday Use, the narrators daughter Maggie is living with her, and this is not unlike the Welty
tale. This mother purportedly wants Maggie to marry so she will have no more children at home. Maggies older sister Dee lives with a man but it is unclear as
to whether or not they are legally married. Dee is the wild one. She is critical of her family and always has been. She is flighty. She moved out of
the family home early, as soon as she began college, but Maggie is still living at home. While Dee had rarely engaged in family outings for example, and had given
the family little thought, she suddenly decides that family life is what she wants after all. She embraces her first family and the family home with open arms. The inevitable
fight that ensues between the girls is over family quilts. The girls squabble because Dee likes these hand sewn family quilts but they are promised to Maggie for when she