Livvie Essay, Research Paper

"Livvie", A Celebration of life Eudora Welty?s "Livvie", is a great story on how life should be celebrated. The story is about a young woman , who marries and old man, that in a since imprisons her. The young girl gets a second chance at life when a younger man (someone her own age) enters her life and the older man is about to die. The theme Welty is trying to get across is live life to the fullest. Welty shows the theme through the character, setting, and symbols. Characters played a big role in the story. First, Solomon who is the husband of young woman. His name kind of explains what type of man he is going to be in the story. Solomon was the king of Israel and in the story Welty provides information that Solomon is playing a king type role. Welty says Solomon had a bed "like a throne" (511). "Solomon had never let Livvie go any farther than the chicken house and the well. (515). Welty shows the control Solomon has over Livvie (the young girl). Another sign of control that Welty shows in the story is, "Solomon would not have let Livvie look at them, just as he would not let her look at a field hand or a field hand look at her" (512-513). He does not realize how unappreciative he is making Livvie. Livvie, her name too has a symbol. It means "life" or "live". "She is unable to live her life Watt 2 under Solomon?s strict rule (Sample Short Story Analysis). Solomon is not letting her live her life. Therefore, she cannot appreciate the few things in life that he has given to her. Miss Baby Marie and Cash shine a little light on the story. They both kind of persuade Livvie to go out and explore life a little more. Marie does so by showing Livvie what the outer world has to offer. Example about cosmetics, Livvie gets so excited about the color of the lipstick. It must remind her of something in life. Cash?s youth attracts Livvie. The setting also plays a significant part in the story. The story is set up in a nice isolated area. It is in the spring around Easter. By Solomon staying in an isolated area which was unfamiliar to Livvie, he had all control over her. At the time she was only a girl. This way Solomon could control who sees Livvie and who does not. Easter also represents a meaning in the story. Welty lets the audience know it is around Easter when Cash says, "I ready for Easter" (520). Easter means the "rebirth". It is a turning point for Livvie in the story. She is in the process of living a lifestyle of isolation to living a life of great opportunities. Welty lets the audience know Cash is going to be the one to lead Livvie to this life of great opportunities. Welty wrote "It might be if he had not appeared the way he did appear that day she would never have looked so closely at him, but the time people come makes a difference" (519). Cash shows up at the time. Solomon is dying and Livvie is ready to go out and see what the world has to offer. Welty uses great symbols to support the theme. One example of symbolism that Welty provides is the bottle trees. The bottle trees were suppose to keep evil spirits Watt 3 way. In this case the bottle trees were supposed to protect Livvie from the evil spirits. Solomon made one tree each year to keep people like cash from coming to take his lovely wife away from him.. One day in the next year cash threw a rock into one of the bottles. This means there is room for one evil spirit to get hold to Solomon?s wife which happens to be Cash. Welty proves this when, "So here come the man Livvie wait for. Was no prevention. No prevention. Now I lay eyes on young man and it come to be somebody I know all the time, and been knowing since we were born in a cotton patch, and watched grow up year to year, Cash McCord growed to size growed up to come in my house in the end ragged and barefoot" (522). Livvie is basically a story about a young woman whose life is stolen away from her. An older man marries her and moves her far away from everyday life. In the end when the old man is dying, a second opportunity to live life is available. Welty?s theme live life to the fullest is thought of because everyone is given this second chance.