Optimist's Daughter Questions

Here were the questions asked during the Optimist's Daughter meeting in January:

1) What do you think of Eudora Welty’s writing style and in particular the story structure?
2) Why do you think Laurel’s friends still refer to themselves as the “bridesmaids”?
3) Why do you think Laurel’s father married Fay?
4) How do you think that setting of the story in the south plays a part in the plot?
5) How is grief portrayed in the Optimist’s Daughter?
6) What is the symbolism of the birds throughout the story?
7) Why do you think Welty waited to flesh out Laurel’s mother towards the last part of the story?
8) What is the significance of Phil appearing to Laurel?
9) Why does Laurel burn all her parents’ keepsakes?
10) What is the importance of the “breadboard scene” in the novel?
11) Would you recommend this novel to others?