260 RüdigerKunow
"asymmetrical intersubjectivity" (95).^91 The dynamics involved in such
a form of intersubjectivity are beautifully captured in a little-known
pieceoffiction,EudoraWelty's"VisitofCharity"(1941).^92
Thestoryopensasfourteen-year-oldMarianisabouttopayavisitto
a senior citizens' home. We quickly learn that this is less the visit of
charityannouncedbythetitlebutratheroneofcalculationbecause,asa
CampFireGirl,Marianwillearnthreeextrapointsfordoingthis,fourif
she takes her Bible along. But Marian has opted for flowers,
significantlythoseofthegenusmultifloraCineraria.Withthese'flowers
of ashes' in hand she walks in: "I have to pay a visit to some old lady,"
she tells the nurse at the desk. "'Acquainted with any of our residents?'
asked the nurse.... 'No... any of them will do" (1476). As Marian is
led along the corridors, she soon gets queasy as she encounters strange
smells and equally strange sounds. From inside the rooms, she hears
voices which seem to her "like... sheep bleating" (1476). Then the
nurse opens the door to one room, and "Marian stood tongue-tied; both
handsheldbythepottedplant....Itwaslikebeingcaughtinarobbers'
cave, just before one was murdered" (1476-77). The two "robbers" turn
outtobetwooldwomenwhoatfirstdonotseemtotakemuchnoticeof
this unexpected "visit ofcharity" butkeep on with their petty squabbles
abouttheirownage(!).Eventually,onewomanturnstoMarian:
littlegirl,haveyouapennytospareforapooroldwomanthat'snotgot
anything of her own? We don't have a thing in the world—not a penny
forcandy—notathing!...Marianpulledviolentlyagainsttheoldhands(^91) There is, however, a dialectics involved here which very much works to the
detriment of people needing care. The stable association of care with children
has the negative side effect of suggesting a likeness of grown-up people with a
pre-adult stage of life. Moreover, care for children is a temporary stage which
preparesthemforanindependentlifeandautonomoussubjectposition,whereas
fortheagedordisabledpersons,itisinmostcasespermanent.
(^92) Ihaverepeatedlypresentedreadingsofthisstory,soin"TheComingofAge:
The Descriptive Organization of Later Life."RepresentationandDecorationin
a Postmodern Age. Ed. Alfred Hornung and Rüdiger Kunow. Heidelberg:
Winter, 2009. 295-309. Print.; or in "Postcolonial Theory and Old Age: An
ExplorativeEssay."JournalofAgingStudies39(2016):101-08.Print.