To begin, Walker and Welty both adopt an approving and respectful tone toward their main characters: Mama Johnson and Phoenix Jackson. Mama is presented as a no-nonsense, hard-working woman; she is honest and down-to-earth and wants to make her children happy. Phoenix is so loving to her grandson, whom she raises alone despite her advanced age, that she takes on this frightening and arduous trek every few months to get the medicine he needs to soothe his throat. It will never cure him, but it comforts him, and this compels her to continue. Both women are presented as incredibly loving and generous of themselves.
Walker adopts a more judgmental tone for Dee's character, as does Welty for the white hunter. Mama's refusal of Dee's request for the quilts, and her comparison of that feeling to the feeling she gets in church, seems to indicate that Walker does not agree with...
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Dee's values. Further, Dee does not treat her family kindly at all, making her look quite unsympathetic. In "A Worn Path," the white hunter pointing a gun at Phoenix shows him to be absolutely disrespectful; Phoenix is old, nearly blind, and all alone in the woods, and this ought to compel others—black, white, or otherwise—to be gentle and helpful to her, not to threaten and scare her. The authors' criticism and disapproval of these characters is evident in the way they are portrayed.
Walker's style seems to me to be more realistic than Welty's. To be sure, Welty is within the realm of realism, but she describes Old Phoenix's journey as though it were some sort of fairy tale or epic adventure. Phoenix has such a lively imagination and playful spirit that the story feels less like realism and more like magical realism. She's not a magical creature, but she is named after one, so it seems purposeful that Welty would adopt such a style.
First, you need to understand what tone is. Tone is usually defined as the author's attitude towards his/her subject matter in a piece of writing. In both stories, a similar tone is one of respect for both of the main characters, "Mama" in "Everyday Use" and Phoenix Jackson in "A Worn Path." Both are very strong African-American women who have had very rough lives and who have to battle racism and who live in the South. The authors of both stories convey a sense of reverence and respect for the two protagonists. Even though both are uneducated, both protagonists are very intelligent in matters of life. They've learned hard lessons in their lives and they both are very wise. As for the styles of both stories, both writers approach these stories with simple language that is easy for the reader to understand. This coincides with the simplicities of each story.