The Portrayal of Alienation by Using Humor Tool in Eudora Welty's The Ponder Heart and The Key

Abstract

The current paper tackles the theme of alienation by using humorous stylistic tool in the works of the southern American novelist Eudora Welty (1909-2001). It analyzes the alienated characters to find their identities in their world in Welty's works by adopting the Marxism theory. It attempts to explore the reasons and embodiments of the alienation of human nature to attain their self-redemptions in overcoming their adversity. Welty is distinguished with her skillful style; therefore, she goes to employ humor to facilitate the communication from the writer to the readers to convey the theme of alienation that characters encountered in their difficulties in life. She utilizes the humor in her works to disclose the aspects of flaw and failure of the characters in encountering their alienation. It attempts to reveal the humorous tools in two of Welty's works, The Ponder Heart and The Key.