The Optimists Daughter by Eudora Welty

This text consists of extended excerpts from Eudora Welty's novel, "The Optimist's Daughter," focusing primarily on the death of Judge McKelva and the subsequent interactions between his daughter, Laurel, and his much younger second wife, Fay. The passages detail the events surrounding the Judge's eye operation in a New Orleans hospital, his death, and the chaotic, highly public funeral proceedings in his hometown of Mount Salus, Mississippi, which reveal the deep contrast between Laurel and Fay and the communal nature of grief ("The Optimist's Daughter" originally appeared in The New Yorker). The selections also explore Laurel's memories of her deceased mother, Becky, through the discovery of old letters and mementos in the family home, ultimately contrasting her parents' loving but complicated relationship with Fay’s self-serving presence, as Laurel finally finds strength in reclaiming a tangible symbol of her mother’s life—a breadboard made by her first husband, Phil.

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