Readers guide developed by lee anne bryan, former education and outreach specialist for the eudora welty house and garden 1. Essay the optimist s daughter analysis eudora welty, author of famous novel the optimists daughter, is know for her exquisite literary works. The focus is on the characters, particularly laurel the optimists daugh ter and her struggle to reflect and process love and loss, move ahead in a healthy way to the present from the past. The optimists daughter by eudora welty is an emotional story about laurel mckelva hand who travels to new orleans to be with her father for an eye surgery. The optimists daughter study guide contains a biography of eudora welty, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. How does the optimists daugh ter reflect the social issues of the late 60s.
This article was most recently revised and updated by kathleen kuiper, senior editor. The optimists daughter is one of the books that i am assigned to read for a workshop im taking in february. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the optimists daugh ter vintage international. The cataract in beckys eye, which is an image of the water torrent suggested by the poem the cataract of lodore, is equally juxtaposed with the cataract in mckelvas eye. The book begins with the main character, laurel hand, who travels to new orleans from her home in chicago to assist. The book begins with the main character, laurel hand, who travels to new orleans from her home in chicago to. Main characters the optimists daughter eudora welty main characters laurel hand. The first version of eudora weltys bestselling, pulitzer prizewinning novel, the optimist s daughter.
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. Despite their powerful mutual affection, laureland, in her memory, becky and clintonemerge as lonely figures, each thrown back on his or her waning strength when disaster strikes. Hall 14 november 2017 a life lived in fear of death. As the optimists daughter opens, laurel mckelva hand leaves chicago and goes to new orleans, where her father. The book begins with the main character, laurel hand, who travels to new orleans from her home in chicago. In the optimists daughter, readers will discover a large cast of characters and the complexity of their relationships, the rich humor and subtlety of dialog that reveals without describing, the wideness of scope compressed within the boundaries of a short novel, the wisdom and. Written by timothy sexton and other people who wish to remain anonymous mardi gras the novel takes place during mardi gras celebrations in new. Her book the optimist s daughter won the pulitzer prize in 1973 and she was awarded the presidential medal of freedom, among numerous awards. The optimists daugh ter book summary and study guide. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The novel begins with judge mckelva, fay, and laurel in an examining room, with dr. The optimist in question is 71yearold judge mckelva, who has come to a new orleans hospital from mount salus, mississippi, complaining of a disturbance in his vision. The optimists daugh ter is the story of laurel mckelva hand, a young woman who has left the south and returns, years later, to new orleans, where her father is dying.
Laurel mckelva hand leaves her job as a textile designer in chicago, to go back home to the south when her father calls because hes sick. The optimists daugh ter is a compact and inwardlooking little novel, a pulitzer prize winner thats slight of page yet big of heart. And perhaps it didnt matter to them, not always, what they read aloud. Read about writers from around the world with an atoz listings, profiles, biographies and more. In the optimists daughter, welty tries to refute such masculine claims. Revised and published as a novel in 1972, it is considered by some to be her sparest novel. Also find summaries and analysis of famous poems, novels, short stories, plays, and other works. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. The optimists daughter essay example 1436 words cram.
The optimists daughter is the story of laurel mckelva h. Considered by many to be weltys best novel, the optimist s daughter has garnered the admiration of. Laurel hand, the main character of the novel, lives in chicago, but is now traveling in new orleans. As the optimists daugh ter opens, laurel mckelva hand leaves chicago and goes to new orleans, where her father, judge mckelva, is seeing an eye specialist to find out why his sight is failing. Hitlers daughter, after the war, do you have to say you are sorry for what your father has done, and that you had no part of it.
Sparknotes are the most helpful study guides around to literature, math, science, and more. The first version of eudora weltys bestselling, pulitzer prizewinning novel, the optimists daugh ter, appeared as a short story in 1969 in the new yorker. I cant quite believe im 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. Complete summary of eudora weltys the optimists daughter. The question and answer section for the optimist s daughter is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and. Are any of the characters in hitlers daughter based on real people. Her father is accompanied by his silly and trite second wife, who is the same age as laurel. Thus laurel returns home, after the death of her mother, after her father has remarried the common wanda fay, as he lies in a. Recurrent in weltys fiction, including the optimists daughter, is the paradox of the family as both nurturing and stifling.
Related questions and answers for characters in the optimists daugh ter. In addition to the storyform, youll also find any additional analysis or media related to the story in question more analysis the others. The optimists daughter is a pulitzer prize for fictionwinning short novel by eudora welty. Eudora alice welty was an awardwinning american author who wrote short stories and novels about the american south.
The life of laurel eudora welty, author of famous novel the optimists daughter, is known for her exquisite literary works. This partially autobiographical story explores the subtle bonds between parent and child and the complexities of love and grief. Weltys narrative method in the optimists daughter works perfectly to reveal her themes and her suggestion of laurels growth. Summary the optimists daughter wikipedia gradesaver. As the optimist s daughter opens, laurel mckelva hand leaves chicago and goes to new orleans, where her. It was first published as a long story in the new yorker in march 1969 and was subsequently revised and published in book form in 1972. E udora weltys novel, the optimists daughter, which first appeared in the new yorker of march 15, 1969, is. The optimists daughter 1972 eudora welty 19092001 if the early work is classic, this might be medievalin its fullness of vision, depth of field, range of ear. The optimists daughter deals with family relationships, as do the earlier novels delta wedding and losing battles and many of weltys short stories. Marries to fay to fill the void of beckys death and laurels abandonment. The optimists daughter summary supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Youve reached the hub for any and all dramatica analysis of the optimists daughter.
I have tried to make these as accurate as possible. Judge clinton mckelva and his much younger second wife fay have come from. Find all available study guides and summaries for the optimists daughter by eudora welty. The optimists daughter vintage international kindle. This pulitzer prizewinning novel tells the story of laurel mckelva hand, a young woman who has left the south and returns, years later, to new orleans, where her father is dying. The question and answer section for the optimist s daughter is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. The optimists daughter, first published in the new yorker, did command a wide readership. Large cast of characters and complex relationships. Laurel mckelva hand leaves her job as a textile designer in chicago, to go back home to the south. O that is in every short story anthology known to man. Those who didnt enjoy the topsyturvy eccentricity of losing battles will be happy to find miss welty back in the changeless countryside of her earlier short novels where memory is the eternal revenant keeping alive places and people often in the mortmain of the past. She is a widow who had been married to a man named phil hand.
The optimists daughter, pulitzer prizewinning short novel by eudora welty, published in 1972. Find sample tests, essay help, and translations of shakespeare. Literary analysis of the optimist s daughter 1918 words 8 pages allison neal engl 357 women in the south j. These notes were contributed by members of the gradesaver community. Laurel is judge mckelvas daughter, who is an only child. An outside voice tells the story but always from the stance of. The optimists daugh ter vintage international kindle edition by welty, eudora. The optimists daughter by eudora welty by shea hewitt on. Eudora weltys novel, the optimists daughter, was inspired by the very concept of ones own memory, dealing with loss and grief, and her own personal experiences.
Thoughts on eudora weltys the optimists daughter by. Alone in the old house, laurel finally comes to an understanding of the past, herself, and her parents. The story line is simple, but welty takes a difficult and complex situation and resolves it with incredible depth and meaning. The optimists daughter summary and analysis like sparknotes. The optimist s daughter eudora welty, 1972 knopf doubleday 192 pp.
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