Eudora Welty “A Visit of Charity”—Discussion Questions

1. How would you describe Marian’s attitude when she arrives at the nursing home? How charitable is her visit? Does her motivation make her service matter?

2. “There was a smell in the hall like the interior of a clock” (Welty 131). This is a very unusual simile and it is hard to decipher. Can you try to make sense of it? Explain

3. How do the two women receive Marian and how would you describe Addie? Why does Addie look at Marian with “despair and calculation”?

4. Why does Marian feel that being in the old women’s room is “… like being caught in a robbers’ cave, just before one was murdered” (Welty 132)?

5. The old women are referred to as “bleating sheep” and “birds with claws.” What kind of picture does this paint of these old women and is this animalistic imagery purposely derogatory?

6. When Marian begins to wonder about Addie, why are we told, “It was the first time such a thing had happened to her” (Welty 134)?

7. Why does the first old woman say, “Well, it was a real visit” (Welty 134)? Is there more than a generous slice of sarcasm in this comment? Explain.

8. Why does Marian run out of the old ladies’ home and what is the significance of her reaching for an apple that she hid in the prickly shrub before she entered the building?

9. Does Marian learn anything meaningful from the visit? Is she beginning to become aware of her own mortality? Why or why not?

10. What does the story illustrate when it comes to how we as a society deal with the old, the sick, and the infirm? The story was written in 1941, but could it happen today?

11. What might be the central idea of this story?

“The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich —Discussion Questions

1. Where is the foreshadowing in this story? Why might Erdich have set it up like this?

2. Why is the story told by the brother who didn’t have to go to war? Would it have been as effective, less effective or more effective if Henry had narrated the story?

3. Give some plausible reasons for why the boys would want this car and buy it so impulsively? What does the red convertible symbolize? Explain

4. How does the family react to Henry once he comes back from the war? Do you consider their behavior to be loving, or apathetic? Why do they not get him some professional help?

5. Why does Lyman let the car roll into the river? What is he trying to express with his actions? Explain your answer. (keep in mind the sentimental value of the car, the dollar value of it, the fact that Henry wants Lyman to have it, the fact that Henry has just fixed it up)

6. The specific elements of the story: main character—Native American soldier – suffering from PTSD after Vietnam War, drinks with brother, kills himself, or dies in river. What messages did Erdich want to convey to us? What might have been her reason for writing this story?

7. Is this story in any way a commentary on the elusiveness of the American dream for Native American Indians? Does Lyman’s American dream drown with Henry and the red convertible at the end of this story?

8. What is the central conflict in this story?