The Ponder Heart: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Ponder Heart" is a novel that explores the lives of the Ponder family through the eyes of Edna Earle Ponder, a middle-aged, unmarried woman who serves as the narrator and caretaker of her uncle, Daniel Ponder. The story unfolds in the small town of Clay, where Edna Earle's good-natured, perceptive character provides insight into the personalities around her. She describes her uncle Daniel as a lovable man with a childlike demeanor and a penchant for storytelling, whose innocent nature leads to a comical murder charge against him. In contrast, Bonnie Dee Peacock, Daniel's young wife, is depicted as materialistic and naive, lacking depth as a character. The influence of family patriarch Grandpa Ponder looms large, as his manipulations shape the lives of those around him until his death. Other notable characters include Teacake Magee, Daniel's briefly married first wife, and Dorris Gladney, the ambitious prosecutor who seeks to convict Daniel. Through these characters, the novel paints a whimsical yet poignant picture of family dynamics, societal expectations, and the complexities of human relationships in a Southern community.
The Ponder Heart: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Eudora Welty
First published: 1954
Genre: Novella
Locale: Clay, a small town in Mississippi
Plot: Regional
Time: Early 1950's
Edna Earle Ponder, a middle-aged, unmarried woman, the last of the Ponder family. She narrates the events to a guest at the Beulah Hotel, which she was given by her Uncle Daniel fifteen years ago. She is garrulous and good-humored, and she sees herself as smart. She is also perceptive regarding people's character. A “good Presbyterian” with a sense of civic responsibility (she runs the rummage sale held to benefit black people), she does not participate in small-town sectarian bickering. She sees Bonnie Dee for the “little thing with yellow, fluffy hair” that she is, and at Bonnie Dee's funeral she describes Mrs. Peacock, who wears tennis shoes, as “big and fat as a row of pigs.” Generally, Edna Earle is good-natured, tolerant, and compassionate. Despite the suffering caused by the trial, she does not allow herself to become embittered. She willingly denies herself the pleasure of marriage and children to accept her role as Uncle Daniel's caretaker.
Daniel Ponder, Edna Earle's uncle, now in his fifties. He is a lovable, childlike man who enjoys being rich because he can give things away. He appears to have the mental equipment and emotional maturity of an eleven-or twelve-year-old. A big man with the large Ponder head, he has short, curly white hair and is always dressed in a white suit with a red bow tie and a large Stetson. Uncle Daniel loves to tell stories and loves having an audience. In effect, he is the ward of the town of Clay, and he is so obviously harmless that the charge of murder brought against him is comical.
Bonnie Dee Peacock Ponder, who is seventeen years old when she marries Uncle Daniel and always looks seventeen, according to Edna Earle. She comes from the country to work at the five-and-ten in Clay. Tiny (she weights ninety-eight pounds) and doll-like, with blonde hair and “coon eyes,” she spends most of her time sending off for clothing and other items, some of which, like the washing machine that she buys before the house has electricity, are useless to her. She comes from a large, poor, country family, and although she is certainly materialistic, she is perhaps not so much mercenary as she is naïve and immature. Nevertheless, she is not a sympathetic character, and she never acquires enough dimension or personality to cause the reader to lament her comical death as a result of tickling from Daniel.
Grandpa Ponder, who appears only in the early pages of the novel. He is the head of the family. Although he is devoted to his last surviving son, Daniel, and treats Edna Earle well, Grandpa Ponder manipulates the lives of those around him, in part through his wealth and local influence. When the asylum fails to be the appropriate answer for Uncle Daniel, he arranges a marriage with an acceptable matron. When that fails and Uncle Daniel marries Bonnie Dee, Grandpa Ponder dies of a stroke.
Teacake Magee, a widow and a member of the choir in the Baptist church. She becomes Uncle Daniel's first wife, but the marriage lasts only two months. He seems to have liked her, as he likes virtually everyone, but he objects to the noise of her “spool-heels” on the floor.
Narciss, the black cook who waits on Bonnie Dee and behaves more as her playmate than her servant.
Dorris Gladney, the ambitious prosecutor who talks the Peacocks into bringing Uncle Daniel to court on a murder charge. Conceited and self-important, Gladney tries to use clever ploys to trap the naïve Uncle Daniel. Although Gladney loses the case, Edna Earle speculates that he will become governor of Mississippi.
DeYancey Clanahan, Uncle Daniel's well-meaning but ineffectual defense attorney and son of an old family friend, “Judge” Tip Clanahan, who considers himself too old to take the case.