In The Optimist's Daughter, Eudora Welty portrays depression through the juxtaposition of characters, her use of symbolism, and verbal irony portrayed throughout the novel. Symbolism In The Optimist’s Daughter, Welty includes many instances of symbolism.For example, the trapped bird is connected to Laurel. Written by Timothy Sexton and other people who wish to remain anonymous. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. In The Optimist's Daughter Laurel is forced to make peace with her past and her present in order to go on with her future.The event of her father's death is difficult for her because she enjoyed a loving relationship with him, and even more so because his recent marriage to Fay, a selfish, impatient woman, forces Laurel to accept circumstances beyond her control. The optimist in question is 71-year-old Judge McKelva, who has come to a New Orleans hospital from Mount Salus, Mississippi, complaining of a "disturbance" in his vision. After the Judge passes - one doesn't say dies in the South - Laurel and her step-mother, the younger and self-centered Wanda Fay, return to the family home in Mississippi to bury the Judge. But the title does not belong to her alone. Whenever she becomes mad, Fay starts to scream, point fingers, and search out people who will help her. "The Optimist’s Daughter Symbols, Allegory and Motifs". I recommend this as a good candidate for book club reading and discussion. by Eudora Welty. A home is a place where one can restore themselves because it gives one a sense of comfort. The Optimist's Daughter is a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction-winning short novel by Eudora Welty. It runs very deep under the surface, and requires some thought about the symbolism of the metaphors Welty folds into the story, long after it’s been read. ‘He collapsed.’ Fatigue had pouched the The Optimist’s Daughter: Readers’ Guide Developed by Lee Anne Bryan, Former Education and Outreach Specialist for the Eudora Welty House and Garden 1. The Optimist’s Daughter study guide contains a biography of Eudora Welty, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. (approx. Save this story for later. The Optimist's Daughter Themes. The recovery doesn't go well, however, and when he passed away Laurel is left alone with Fay, his unpleasant second wife, in the community in which she grew up, full of people who worshipped her father. From there, she embarks on a deeply personal journey to explore her past and her family in order to make sense of her future. Welty, whether consciously or unconsciously, seems to be committed to her sex by writing as a woman. Sexton, Timothy, et al. The story line is simple, but Welty takes a difficult and complex situation and resolves it with incredible depth and meaning. Laurel is beginning to feel in control of the floodgates and the release may thus be better contained and controlled. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Becky Mckelva was Judge Mckelva's wife before she died and had Laurel Mckelva with him. The heavy weight of the lid is therefore symbolic of the weightiness upon her to finally accept that he is gone and she is going to face the rest of her life without his presence in her life. After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. The old saying "The home is where the heart is" takes on a special meaning in Eudora Welty's, The Optimist's Daughter. Our Reading Guide for The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty includes a Book Club Discussion Guide, Book Review, Plot Summary-Synopsis and Author Bio. The confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers at Cairo, Illinois is a one of the essential symbols of the novel. The carnival atmosphere in New Orleans is not so much intended to be taken literal as it is a symbol; when the setting moves out of the city to the small town of Mt. It not only contains several characters who suffer from blindess or poor vision but also images of vision or th… The Optimist's Daughter The major characters in The Optimist's Daughter are Judge McKelva, Becky Mckelva, Laurel Mckelva, Wanda Fay, Dr. Courtland, Miss Adele Courtland, Tish Bullock, Major Bullock, Miss Tennyson, and Miss Missouri. The Omen ← Common themes and symbolisms seen throughout her short stories are racism, the deep south, journey, and lots of indirect characterization. Her mother, Becky McKelva slowly loses her vision as she approaches her death, and her father dies while attempting to recover from surgery for a detached retina. This Study Guide consists of approximately 65 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Optimist's Daughter. The Optimist's Daughter is the tale of Laurel McKelva, a middle-aged widower living in Chicago, called to New Orleans to be with her ailing father the Judge. The Optimist's Daughter is a compact and inward-looking little novel, a Pulitzer Prize winner that's slight of page yet big of heart. So it should come as no surprise that the medical condition kicking off the narrative is related to the eye and sight. March 7, 1969. Laurel’s dream of a train ride with her husband who died long before draws this figurative image more starkly into the literal world as she reflects that the confluence symbolizes life which she has determined is simply the continuation of love that one expresses for and receives from others. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. The Optimist's Daughter Quotes Showing 1-30 of 40. It was first published as a long story in the The New Yorker in March 1969 and was subsequently revised and published in book form in 1972. ― Eudora Welty, The Optimist's Daughter. It either represents the beating of Laurel’s heart or her feelings and her struggle to delve into her past and accept the pain. In this short novel, the death of Judge McKelva prompts Laurel and Fay, who are his daughter and wife, to connect with their own homes. Mardi Gras just has the effect of amplifying the effect. The optimist in question is 71-year-old Judge McKelva, who has come to a New Orleans hospital from Mount Salus, Mississippi, complaining of a "disturbance" in his vision. The Optimist's Daughter is a compact and inward-looking little novel, a Pulitzer Prize winner that's slight of page yet big of heart. Write a review. Large cast of characters and complex relationships. In fact, the images and symbols, Welty uses in The Optimist’s Daughter, are significant because they are usually associated with the specificity of women’s experience. You've reached the "hub" for any and all Dramatica analysis of The Optimist’s Daughter.In addition to the Storyform, you'll also find any additional analysis or media related to the story in question.. More Analysis → The Others. “The mystery in how little we know of other people is no greater than the mystery of how much, Laurel thought.”. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating However, depression presents just as much of a concern today as it has in the past. The Optimist's Daughter Symbols, Allegory and Motifs. Save this story for later. And if place has been Miss Welty's touchstone, the pun implicit in the word "place" comes alive in her new novel; its colloquial meaning--caste, class, position-- is as important as its geographical one. Both of Laurel's parents suffered from failures of vision. This partially autobiographical story explores the subtle bonds between parent and child and the complexities of … 1 page at 400 words per page) Here Welty suggests it is necessary for Laurel to revisit her past because only then can her feelings be released. The Question and Answer section for The Optimist’s Daughter is a great The disconnect between the celebratory atmosphere and anything serious going on—whether in the world or next door in your neighbor’s house—can serve to have the effect of creating tiny little moments of insight for those who experience it. ‘He’s gone, and his eye was healing’’ Are you trying to tell me you let my husband die?’ Fay cried. byEudora Welty. this section. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty on Amazon. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. If The Optimist’s Daughter sounds interesting to you, then find your quiet place and start reading or listening. The number of people suffering from depression today has nearly doubled since the 1970s. Love transcends time, space and even the void of death, moving toward convergence as it remains felt. The research also analyzes many aspects including the “core characters of the novel”; in addition, the research enlightens the concept enlighetend in … Making Peace with the Past. The main character of the novel is Laurel, the titular daughter. While many of Eudora Welty’s novels are partially inspired by real-world events, both on personal and broader levels, it cannot be disguised that The Optimist’s Daughter was very heavily influenced by happenings in her own life. It concerns a woman named Laurel, who travels to New Orleans to take ca Laurel requires the assistance of the undertaker and Tish to get the lid of the judge’s coffin to close. The Optimist's Daughter: A Look at Death and Dying "Fay struck out with her hands, hitting at Major Bullock and Mr. Pitts and Sis, fighting with her mother, too, for a moment. The Optimist's Daughter Important Quotes “He bent his head, but that did not hide the aggrievement, indignation, that was in his voice. Optimism is a way of choosing to see the world around you; it is a question of vision. The most prominent metaphor in The Optimist's Daughter is vision. The New Yorker, March 15, 1969 P. 37. Welty’s unique use of symbols and images is a major feature of her feminine discourse. The Optimist's Daughter begins when Laurel flies from Chicago to New Orleans to be with her father as he recovers from an operation. She is identified through a character trait of her father, thus making the title really more informational on his part than hers. The Optimist's Daughter is the story of Laurel, a widow who returns to Mississippi when her father is ill and witnesses his death and funeral. The Optimist’s Daughter is one of the books that I am assigned to read for a workshop I’m taking in February.I can’t quite believe I’m about to admit this on the internet, but I had never read Eudora Welty before I picked up this book – not even that short story “Why I Live at the P.O” that is in every short story anthology known to man. Miss Missouri is the maid to the McKelva's and a long time friend of the family.3.1Two main characters in The Optimist's Daughter are Wanda Fay and Laurel McKelva. The Optimist’s Daughter is different from Welty’s other novels in that Fay comes close to being a real villain, rather than simply a person whose perceptions are different from those of others. will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback. The Optimist's Daughter. 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