Aspects of absence in selected works of Eudora Welty

Eudora Welty's works display multiple ways of handling absence. Absences leading to despair are evident in the characters of R. J. Bowman in "Death of a Traveling Salesman," Howard in "Flowers for Marjorie," and Jason and Sara Morton in "The Whistle." They cannot face the absence of a personal relationship, the absence of hope, the absence of a future. Absences causing a stagnation or fear of changing a status quo appear for Ruby Fisher and her husband in "A Piece of News": they live only in the present out of fear of facing the absence of closeness in their marriage, and Ellie Morgan in "The Key" cannot look into her relationship with husband Albert or project into the future. Unlike Ruby and Ellie, Mrs. Larkin in "A Curtain of Green," "Livvie," and William Wallace in "The Wide Net," realize the absences in their lives, reject stagnation, and adopt a positive attitude for future development. Losing Battles incorporates all three aspects of handling absences--despair, status quo, and recognition for growth--in the characters of Julia Mortimer, Beulah Renfro, and Gloria Short.