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.