Eudora Welty, is an author of the 1960s, who is known as the First Lady of Southern Literature and “was a 6-time winner of the O. Henry Award for short stories. Her many awards include the National Medal for Literature, The American Book Award, and, in 1969, A Pulitzer Prize.” (Women’s History). Amongst the many short stories she has written, “Where is the Voice Coming From?” and the “Whistle” are two very well written short stories of the moments that took place in America during that period of time, in which the stories were written.
“Where is the Voice Coming From” and “The Whistle” are alike in some ways but also different in other ways. They are both stories that could be of realistic nature but the person in which both stories are told, differ.
Although both stories take place during different time periods. They both take place in America during very significant hardships of this country. Where is the Voice Coming From?”, is a story in which the Civil Rights Movement is spoken of. A white man commits a murder on a black man, in which he believed would do him and other people of his race a good deed but in reality, brought the movement on even stronger. The Whistle” is a story of a husband and wife who are living in America during the time of the Great Depression. This story speaks of how they try to cope and the sacrifices in which they made to survive. Weather plays a big role in both stories. “Where is the Voice Coming From?”, speaks of all the hatred everyone has for each other and all the tension that is occurring, which explains what the narrator is speaking of when he mentions everything as being hot. “The Whistle”, speaks of the time of the depression, where everything and everyone was cold.
The consequences in which occurred, in “Where is the Voice Coming From?”, is the brutal murder of a black man by a white man, due to the racial tension in America during that period of time. In “The Whistle”, there was a bit of relationship tension between the woman and her husband, which was a result of the Great Depression. Both stories spoke of death. “Where is the Voice Coming From”?, was narrated by the killer, who gave details of his thoughts and feelings, before, during, and after he committed the crime. “The Whistle” was narrated by the woman who was experiencing the cold and the depression. She expressed how the weather was killing her dreams by destroying all they had. Their crops and belongings, so that they could survive.
In both stories, there are signs of anger, bitterness and dissatisfaction that is expressed. In “The Whistle”, the woman is happy on the inside when she thinks of the next season. She does not have to physically kill to satisfy herself. Almost as if the whistle kills her, or the dream of becoming who she really is. Happy and full of life. The story also entail of her lack of communication with her husband. Although, the story explains of their depression, the woman is happy with the memories she has of the summer time and that is what she yearns for. In “Where is the Voice Coming From?”, the killer expresses how he is tired. What he means by this, is he is tired of people being better then he is, especially a black man. Also, he just being unsatisfied with his life altogether. Resulting in him, killing another man in which he believed would solve all problems and he would not have to deal with that situation any longer.
“Where is the Voice Coming From” and “The Whistle” are alike in some ways but also different in other ways. Both stories take place in America and speak of the moments that are taking place at that period of time. They both relate to the weather in some ways or another. They also relate in the form of tension and dissatisfaction. There are different in the sense of the time in history and the different approaches of murder in which the stories in imply. Eudora Welty is known for her southern literature, these being two of them. These two stories are just an example of her great pieces of writings.
