Main Idea
"The Ponder Heart" Mainly revolves around a couple of centralized characters, introducing their way of life, family, and living standards. The story is told in a first-person narrative, with the narrator often referring to themselves as their full name rather than 'I'. The narrator is a woman named Edna Earle.
The novel begins with the narrator, Edna Earle introducing to the readers her Uncle, known as "Uncle Daniel". Edna Earle decides to describe the significance of her uncle, introducing him in a sense of light and innocence, displaying him as a kind and generous man with a big heart. 'Uncle Daniel' is seen as a wonderful man full of kindness in his heart for Edna Earle, but his father (Edna Earle's Grandfather) sees this as a problem and an indication that his son might be strange or mentally ill.
In the beginning, the reader might seem confused as to the storyline, unable to grasp the context except for the fact that the narrator's uncle is extremely wealthy and generous. Edna Earle proceeds to re-tell her uncle's life story revolving her grandpa and his marriage life.
The narrator continues to speak of uncle Daniel and his troubles with controlling his sense of generosity. Uncle Daniel soon marries a singer named Miss Teacake due to Edna Earle and her grandfather's search for a suitable bride.
No less than a couple of months, Miss Teacake divorces uncle Daniel and he is back to his old habits of giving too much. Edna Earle's Grandfather had even tried to lock uncle Daniel in an asylum, hoping to change or cure his eagerness and willingness to give. Soon Uncle Daniel escapes from the asylum, and as Edna Earle puts it, "Turns the tables" on his on father trapping him in the asylum.
When Edna Earle's Grandfather finally returns to Clay from the asylum, he has a heart attack when discovering uncle Daniel had re-married another girl of seventeen named Bonnie Dee.
Analysis of the book
The title 'Ponder Heart' is strangely ironic because 'Ponder' is the family's last name and the deaths that occur in the storyline are mostly heart attacks or heart failures.
Welty decided to name the title the 'Ponder Heart' perhaps because of Uncle Daniel and his massive heart full of love. The 'Ponder Heart' refers to Daniel Ponder's heart. The title also represents the types of love and how relationships don't always work out. Bonnie Dee is a weak young white girl, who only married Daniel Ponder due to his wealth. He had promised her they would live in his father's mansion and he would provide her with luxuries. Bonnie decided to marry him on trial which shows she clearly didn't marry for love but rather the luxuries and riches that came with it. By marrying on trial, Bonnie could leave uncle Danie whenever she wanted.
Uncle Daniel's heart was so full of love he saw past Bonnie's true motives, often calling her 'pretty as a doll' and complimenting her looks. He was extremely depressed and mournful when Bonnie Dee had left him to Memphis and moped all day until Edna Earle had to put out advertisements convincing her to return and even bribing her.
The climax of the story is when Bonnie Dee dies of what doctors believe is a 'heart attack' and uncle Daniel is blamed and charged guilty for murder.
The citizens and friends of Uncle Daniel don't believe he could've murdered his wife due to his attitude towards people, always sharing his wealth and spreading kindness. Bonnie Dee's family, the peacocks, however, blame Daniel Ponder for the murder.
Eudora Welty chose a unique surname for Bonnie Dee's family, the 'Peacocks' which symbolizes proud creatures. When Edna Earle described the Peacock family, they were often seen as greedy egoistic people, especially when Uncle Daniel was handing out money they grabbed as much as they could. They appeared to not even be mourning their family member, Bonnie Dee's death.
Towards the end of the book, the readers discover that the true cause of Bonnie Dee's death wasn't shock and dying of fear, but rather of laughter. The significance that she died of laughter even though she never smiled seems entirely unexpected as one would not think one could die of laughter. But in the last chapter, Edna Earle helps Uncle Daniel to confess the entire story in truths and states that Uncle Daniel was tickling Bonnie Dee in attempts to cheer her up from crying. Instead, she collapses and dies from laughing.
This strange ending tells us that though Uncle Daniel is pure of heart, he was accidentally guilty of murder. Despite all the good deeds he had done, to some people he was still seen as a bad person, which describes the way of the world. People will always judge and see what they choose to see, it is up to us to decide to be good human beings like Uncle Daniel.
The story takes a turn and goes to show no matter what Edna Earle or her grandfather does, Uncle Daniel will not stop his habits. After all the troubles, and marrying women, to accidental murder, in the end, Uncle Daniel gave away every last penny he had.
