Suffocating Heat
The story takes place in the south on the 4th of July. Want to know a secret about the south on the 4th of July? It’s hot, no matter where in the South you may be. Add in a time frame before man’s greatest invention—the air conditioner—two chickens being cooked on the stove, a house full of people and the addition stress of family dysfunction and, “Naturally, it's so suffocating-hot in the house.” Sister was already halfway to that feeling of being suffocated and the extreme heat only adds to the misery. You almost feel like you want to wipe the sweat off your skin as you read the story.
Independence Day
The phrase “Fourth of July” is mentioned in full six different times in the story. On the other hand the other alternative phrase for that date—Independence Day—does not occur at all. The imagery is clear enough; one need not be hit over the head. The absence of the alternative only serves to point up for this Fourth of July turns out to be Sister’s day for proclaiming her independence.
Noise
According to the terribly unreliable narrator, Sister, she has been curses with an oversensitivity to loud noises. The story is layered with imagery that undercuts this assertion with sharp irony. Ever since the narration commenced, it seems as though the household has been populated by yelling voices, clattering silverware, slamming doors and the cacophony of multiple people speaking at once. Only when she becomes the victim of a prank involving fireworks does this phantom hearing problem get mentioned; more evidence for those wishing to argue that Sister’s self-centeredness is the real cause of all the problems in that stifling hot house.
Sister
On the other side of the argument is the imagery conveyed through names. We never learn the full legal names of the characters, but the name by which the narrator is addressed could be quite telling. Stella-Rondo may be named after their uncle, but at least she’s go the Stella. Mama and Papa-Daddy have earned the nickname of their authoritarian roles in the family dynamic. Even Shirley-T gets some sort of name, whether it is actually hers or not. But Sister is simply sister; a name defined entirely on the basis of her relationship to Stella-Rondo. Maybe Sister is self-centered, but then again maybe she’s earned that right.
