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Introduction: "One Writer's Beginnings" by Eudora Welty

In Eudora Welty’s short story “One Writer’s Beginnings” a family takes at trip from Jackson, Mississippi to West Virginia and Ohio in 1917 or 1918. They are visiting both the mother and father’s families. The mother is from West Virginia and the father is from Ohio. The father drives, the mother sits in the passenger seat, and the children ride the back seat. The first person narrator is one of the children. At first glance, this story appears to depict a stereotypical family on their vacation. Initially, the mother appears to merely take care of the children and sacrifice her needs to appease her family. However, the relationship between the father and mother is different from what would be expected for the time, in that the mother asserts herself. She asserts herself by making a conscious effort to help with directions, and by rising above her own fears. Essentially, she does blindly trusting her husband. These actions combine to help her resist repression and empower herself.

• In Eudora Welty's short story "One Writer's Beginnings", the mother is...

Other Souces

"Women and Families: Feminist Reconstructions" by Kristine M. Baber and Katherine R. Allen

"The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan

Social Role Theory

Izzy's Bibliography

• Gender Minority