The short story "Livvie" by Eudora Welty reveals themes about wanting more than one has, change, freedom, and rebirth. Livvie is a girl who married Solomon at a very young age and was taken to live in a house isolated from the rest of society. Solomon is a black man who owns his land and has it recorded in the courthouse. He stands out from the other black men because he has people working for him. She was not allowed to get involved with the life that was going on outside of her house. Her life was set, with no decisions left for her to make.
After living a life of monotonous routines, Livvie wants more than she has. She has spent countless hours in the kitchen preparing " things to eat on a tray like a surprise" (301). She cleans the house, washes the dishes, and churns with out a sound. Her responsibilities as a housewife were overachieved. However, Livvie has reached a point in her life where, what Solomon has to offer is not enough. She is hungry for more. "Back in the kitchen she ate heartily, his breakfast and hers, and looked out the open door at what went on" (302). Livvie wants to live. Death is approaching her house, and she wants to overpower it. She wants to know what is outside of the house that she has been trapped in for nine years.
Livvie wants more; she has a drive for following a new path and a change of life. Her husband Solomon, who once laid leaves on the ground for her to walk on, now is not even strong enough to care for himself. At one point in the story, Livvie finds herself in a road between Solomon and Cash. Cash is a young man who works for Solomon. The two men represent different choices, if Livvie chooses Solomon, her life will remain exactly the way it has been for the past nine years, boring. If she chooses Cash, who is full of life, her life will change and be nothing like it has been. She will have new experiences and she will see the world in a different way.
