Alice Walker's portrayal of a black family facing controversy is exceptionally well done. The behind-the-line inferences that one must obtain clearly exhibit Walker's intelligence. Her style is exquisitely felt throughout the short story. Rosa's mentality about her family and the mental conflicts that plague her give great importance to the story. The story vividly brings the reader back to the early twentieth century and shows the effect of racism on society and the family. "Kindred Spirits" is a short story that possesses many attributes that a short story must contain to be great.

Alice Walker is an author that is complex and has many thoughts that she wants to express, but she leaves them up to the reader to find. She does not come out and say that Rosa's aunt does not like her mother, but it can be inferred from the dialog between Rosa and Aunt Lilly...