Analysis of Welty’s Works

In the hands of a proficient author a short story is a powerful instrument. Though some authors write short stories simply to entertain their audience, there are many authors who see the short story as a tool. These authors choose to use the brief but capturing medium that a short story offers as a catalyst to reveal a specific message or moral to their audience. Most readers are accustomed to authors using this method of dispensing ideas and have come to expect some type of message or purpose to be obvious within the content of what they read. Unfortunately, this has, in some aspects, made many readers lazy and unimaginative and when a short story’s purpose is not so obvious, it often has the effect of making the reader feel that the story was pointless. Someone who has read a short story by Eudora Welty often responds in that very way, feeling that the story served no purpose.

Readers of Welty commonly have first impressions of her stories as being unrealistic, inane, obscure, and simply a waste of time. Many often feel that her stories serve little purpose other than to entertain Welty herself. Of course there is much truth in that Welty writes to express and therefore

While much of Welty’s writings seem targeted to a specific audience, few of her works actually require a prior acquaintance to the subject matter. Though the content and characters change throughout and often many of her stories teeter on the edge of reality and fantasy, Welty’s stories have a common theme: they are all about life, a subject most people are reasonably familiar with and can relate to. “A Worn Path,” “A Curtain of Green,” and “Livvie” are just a few examples of stories that take place in a realistic world with realistic characters in realistic surroundings and with realistic situations that all come to life in the rich style of Welty’s writing. One glaring exception to the general realism of Welty’s writings is her short story “Circe.” Many readers find “Circe” difficult to read not only because the story’s overall intention is concealed but also because it requires a familiarity with Homer’s Odyssey. “Circe” has much more in common with Welty’s other wrings than most readers realize. One thing “Circe” does share with all of Welty’s other writings is her eloquence of idiom. Though “Circe” is filled with cryptic prose and ancie

Some topics in this essay:
Eudora Welty, Readers Welty, Eduora Welty’s, Homer’s Odyssey, Curtain Green”, short story, welty’s writings, Worn Path”, purpose obvious, targeted specific audience, meaning purpose, stories simply, targeted specific, specific audience, eudora welty, story’s purpose, welty’s stories,