Why I Live at the P.O.

Hyperbole, or exaggeration, is a tool the narrator uses frequently and applies to both her own statements and those of other characters. For instance, of Stella-Rondo, Sister claims that “as soon as she got married and moved away from home the first thing sister did was separate” (41). That Stella-Rondo arrives with a two-year-old child suggests that she left at least two years prior, highlighting Sister’s tendency to exaggerate. At another point, Sister describes Papa-Daddy’s age as “about a million years old” (44). Throughout the narrative, Sister also employs hyperbole to magnify conflict. Often, words not meant to be taken literally are used to create an emotional response in the reader. The narrator uses these statements to try to “win” the reader’s sympathy, but the frequent exaggeration instead calls the narrator’s reliability into question.

Irony is defined as expressing meaning by using language that signifies the opposite. Welty often uses this technique to develop humor in the narrative. Characters often use verbal irony, in which they say one thing while their tone implies the opposite.