Flannery O'Connor is a Southern Gothic writer who is known for living a spiritual life in a secular world. Approaching all of these broad issues by providing moral, social, and psychological contexts that offer a plethora of insights and passion which her readers find very startling yet at the same time assimilating (Bedford Literature 439).
Grotesque-From a literary standpoint, this term implies a mutation of the characters, plants and/or animals. This mutation transforms the normal features and/or behaviors into veritable extremes that are meant to be frightening and/or disturbingly comic (Cornwell 273).
Southern Gothic Literature- relies on supernatural, ironic, or unusual events to guide the plot, uses these to explore social issues and reveal cultural character of the American South. (http://personal.
Her style may be a classified as Southern Gothic Literature as present a link. Use the definitions above as an aid in showing how O’Connor’s short stories classify as Southern Gothic literature with an integral use of grotesque characters. How does O’Connor, raised a Catholic, reveal the juxtaposition of her religious beliefs(which are ambiguous about her stance) within the grotesque characters? Use textual evidence to support your answer.
The use of grotesque characters by Flannery O’Connor in short stories aids the development of her southern writing style while developing her religious beliefs. One example of this is the character of Hulga, or Joy, in “Good Country People”. O’Connor provides a description of a very different girl, who is in her thirties living at home, is rather large, has a PhD in Philosophy, and a wooden leg. With the vivid picture painted in the reader’s mind, they are able to begin to see that O’Connor’s main goal was not to purely make fun of this girl, but to push this character to the extreme and provide a “disturbingly comic” approach to the storyline. Also, Hulga does not believe in religion, which becomes ironic when the Bible seller uses her, steals from her, and then abandons her. All the while, Hulga develops O’Connor’s religious beliefs to a new dimension in this story, furthering herself more and more from her Catholic upbringing. The unusual, nonreligious character of Hulga with the irony of a Bible seller stealing her wooden leg provides the perfect storyline for a Southern Gothic short story.
ReplyDelete“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
ReplyDeleteFlannery O’Connor’s grotesque style, her mutated characters, and their sadistic actions have earned her the label as a Southern Gothic author. However, this nomenclature does not arise from O’Connor’s resolute attempt to fit into the SC category. The reason O’Connor’s characters are grotesque is because the reader sees, due to the omniscient third person narrator in several of her stories such as “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Good Country People”, the fiber of their hearts. The author becomes, in some ways, a priestess; her message expounds that all individuals possess certain attribute which, when amplified, becomes repulsive. This stems from O’Connor’s Catholic faith and an unwavering belief in Original Sin. In “Good Country People”, the reader is likely to quickly judge Manley Pointer as the most bizarre and monstrous, but his actions are only the physical parallel to Hulga’s (Joy’s) psychological mind games she plays with the rest of the household and her unearned self-righteousness. For example O’Connor says that “…[Joy] could walk without making the awful noise but she made it – Mrs. Hopewell was certain –because it was ugly sounding…” (459). Further, “Mrs. Hopewell was certain that she had thought and thought until she had hit upon the ugliest name in any language” (458). O’Connor juxtaposes her belief in the redemptive power of Christ with the utterly despicable character of Manley Pointer. Hulga, in all her independence and atheism, feels superior to the seemingly unwitting Bible salesman and even “…had imagined that she had seduced him” (464). The knowledge of the Tree of Good and Evil has not filled Hulga, despite her doctorate degree, and Manley, a Homo sapien form of the ancient serpent, tricks her into climbing up to a Babel-esque height of a hay barn. There, Manley fulfills his antithesis: he has deceived Hulga, but he also strips her of her pride, therefore saving her soul. The physical lack of her prosthetic also destroys the false superiority under which Hulga operated: “Without the leg she felt entirely dependent on him” (468). Using these strange and fantastic characters, O’Connor effectively persuades the reader that appearances are fleeting; real understanding comes from scrutinizing a soul. And as shown by Manley, salvation comes in many forms.
Although O’Connor wrote many different short stories, her inclusion of grotesque characters was uniform in her works. The development of these “mutated” characters contributed to O’Connor’s short stories being classified as Southern Gothic Literature, which entails unusual events that reflect on relevant social issues. O’ Connor’s use of grotesque or ugly and unnaturally bizarre characters creates a “displacement” for these individuals. Usually this displacement pertains to their deviation from the Christian path. This is visible in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” through the grandmother. She is extremely judgemental while considering herself above everyone else. She is extremely deceitful and manipulative. Instead of staying in touch with God and true values, she concerns herself in petty matters, such as maintaining her status as a “lady”. “Her collars and cuffs were white organdy trimmed with lace and at her necklace she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet. In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead...would know at once that she was a lady” (368). Obviously, she considers appearances more important than a virtuous, honest soul. This ultimately leads to her demise when the Misfit murders her. At her death, the grandmother knows that she has flawed character and her soul may not be saved from eternal hell. Mary Grace from “Revelation” is another example of a grotesque character that emphasizes O’ Connor’s theme of the importance of living a good Christian life. She is described by Mrs. Turpin as having a face “blue with acne” and “pitiful” (393). Ugly, strange, and out of place she immediately attracts attention. Mary Grace does not interact with the others in the waiting room. She only studies her book. When Mrs. Turpin pushes her to her limit with her advice that the girl should try to have a better disposition and smile more, Mary Grace strikes Mrs. Turpin with her book. Mary Grace says quietly, “Go back to hell where you came from, you old wort hog” (400). This sudden violence disturbs Mrs. Turpin. However, Mary Grace figuratively and almost literally knocks knowledge into Mrs. Turpin’s head with the textbook. With this, Mrs. Turpin has awakening in her soul. In her moment of grace, she realizes she has been to critical of others while thinking too good of herself. She realizes now that she was not as in touch with God as she believed. O’ Connor continually makes it known how important it is for one to keep their faith. She makes it known through her grotesque characters that otherwise one is eternally doomed.
ReplyDeleteIn many of O’ Conner’s short stories, religion is an underlying theme. Growing up, Catholicism played a huge impact in O’ Conner’s life, which is portrayed in her works. She states in a letter in 1955,“I think that the Church is the only thing that is going to make the terrible world we are coming to endurable…you have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it” (485). This ideal explains the lack of bitterness in her stories, specifically Revelation. The main character, Mrs. Turpin, acts ungrateful and believes she is better than every class in society, when in reality, her attitude towards life and God diminishes her ability for kindness. After being hit with a book from an outrageous ugly teenager in a doctor waiting room, Mrs. Turpin begins to reflect on her past actions and discovers her self-absorbed characteristics. She experiences her moment of grace but attempts to resist the reference to an “old wart hog” (478) during her revelation; however God opens her eyes to the world, ironically at a hog parlor. “God is omnipotent and that, Mrs. Turpin, like all mortals, is an insignificant, vulnerable creature whose life can end at any moment” (492). This ideal coincides with O’ Conner’s beliefs in the importance of religion in people’s lives. After her epiphany, Mrs. Turpin sees the world through a different light. Her perspective of society and outward appearances becomes less judgmental, and she desires to develop her relationship with God. He gave her this spiritual enlightenment, and she wants to prove its affects. “Mrs. Turpin remained there with her gaze bent as if she were absorbing some abysmal life-giving knowledge…what she heard were the voices of the souls climbing upward into the starry field and shouting hallelujah” (483-484). O’ Conner’s decision to end the story with this line portrays the significance of redemption and hope for a positive, more spiritual life. Her usage of Mrs. Turpin's grotesque characteristics forces the reader to question their own strength in spirituality and wonder if something as simple as a normal visit to the doctor's office can lead to an important awakening, which defines the Southern Gothic style that O' Conner uses to portay these grotesque characters in Revelation.
ReplyDeleteFlannery O'Connor incorporates grotesque characgers in her stories not only to capture the reader on the surface, but to also push the reader to focus on that character and his or her inner struggles, beliefs, and personal characteristics. Within these grotesque characters, O'Connor then utilizes religion to show her personal affiliation and opinion on the subject. This is why Flannery O'Connor's works are categorized as Southern Gothic literature. One character who exemplifies this type of person is the grandmother from "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." The elderly woman is described as a godly woman who cares more about what other people think of her than she should. She wore white gloves, an item of the past, to symbolize that she was a "lady." The grandmother is also very opinionated, without reason to be. In response to how society was at the time, the grandmother believed that "Europe was entirely to blame for the way things were now. She said the way Europe acted you would think we were made of money." So even though the grandmother may not appear "grotesque" in her outer appearance, the adjective still applies to her inner self. To her dismay, the grandmother's selfish, stubborn personality comes back to haunt her when her and her family encounter The Misfit. While The Misfit is murdering the rest of her family members in the woods, the grandmother pleads with him to change his ways and let her live. After a second where it appeared she had broken through to the criminal, The Misfit shot her three times, killing her. The grandmother's sincerity had come too late. She had already committed too many sins in her life to be relieved of them now. There is, however, a "moment of grace" for her when her figure is described,"..looking down at the grandmother who half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child's and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky." This final position offers hope that the grandmother learned the error of her ways and changed. Maybe God had given her a second chance and admitted her to heaven because of her sudden realization. Maybe not. Nevertheless, this is why O'Connor is made out to be a Southern Gothic writer, because she incorporates both social problems (cockiness, brashness, naiive) and religion (Jesus) into her stories through the use of different, abnormal, "grotesque" characters.
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ReplyDeleteO’Connor’s story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is an example of Southern Gothic Literature as it encompasses ironic events in the story to make her point. When the grandmother is faced with certain death, she then treats the misfit better than she treated anyone else in her life. this is ironic because a person should, by a Christian standpoint, treat other with utmost respect and kindness throughout their whole life, not just when faced with death. The misfit states, “Jesus thrown everything off balance. It was the same case with Him as with except He hadn’t committed any crime and they could prove I had committed one”(454). The Misfit sees religion as not something that has helped him. He sees it as hurting him because it has thrown his life off as he sees a parallel between him and Christ the only difference being he got caught. O’Connor’s grotesque character is exemplified in the grandmother. While she may not be grotesque on the outside, she is grotesque as her true personality is exposed as rude. She only treats the Misfit kindly because she is about to die. This is grotesque because it represents human nature. Human nature can be seen as grotesque as humans only care about themselves, and in times of need will do anything to live.
ReplyDeleteFlannery O'Connor reveals her religious beliefs through her various grotesque characters in an array of ways. The most prominent one to me was the Misfit in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find". This particular one stood out to me because it is ironic that the same road the Grandmother believes will lead them to the old house with the secret panel is the same road the Misfit happens to be following. Also, it is the grandmother who put the family into this situation, yet it is also the grandmother who lives the longest because of her confrontation with the Misfit. But O'Connor truly reveals her beliefs in the last few paragraphs were the grandmother and The Misfit are having a exchange of words. The grandmother plays every card she has in her hand for a chance to win, she calls The Misfit a good guy, prays to Jesus, even goes as far as to call him one of her old children, but in the end strikes out with her last action of placing her hand upon The Misfit. In this last scene The Misfit is portrayed almost as a Jesus-like character and this is the grandmother's judgmental moment; just as it is said that everyone will be judged before entering heaven, this a lower scale version of whether the grandmother earns life or death. Obviously, the grandmother did not live the life she was meant for and lies dead at the end of the story, but The Misfit, still playing the role of a higher being says, "She would have been a good woman...if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life." Another reference to Jesus, as Jesus would know every person inside and out, to what they could've been and should've been to what they actually were.
ReplyDeleteFlannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People” is an idyllic representation of her works as a whole. The basis for her entire story revolves around irony. From the title, to the naming of many of her characters all has a purpose that correlates to her Christian background. In another novel by O'Connor, Mary Grace, one of the protagonists, received her name because she was a character that reaches her “moment of grace,” or the time when her full potential and true nature is revealed. Mary may symbolize an ironic reference to the holy, Mary Magdalene. Although O’Connor was a devout Catholic, she attempted to expose the negative side of human nature and in essence, sent a message in her works that those who did not follow Jesus Christ had misfortunes (alluding to their lack of salvation.) Vulgar names like Hulga reflect the grotesque characters outward appearance with their lack of regard for the Christian faith was inherently projected by her outward flaws. O’Connor gives keen insight into her own Catholic beliefs through her attention to detail regarding the many aspects of her protagonists.
ReplyDeleteFlannery O’Connor was a devout Roman Catholic. Without knowing this before reading her works, religion is not the immediate thought that would come to mind. Ironically, her religious background and beliefs have everything to do with her overall Southern Gothic writing style. Clayton Bence says, “O'Connor's stories give a grotesque and often stark vision of the clash between traditional Southern Christian values and the ever-changing social scene of the twentieth century” (Bence). She uses grotesque characters to formulate an ironic twist on her works. The irony almost makes her points regarding religion even more blatantly obvious and apparent to the reader. In her short story, “Revelation,” one of the key characters is an “ugly girl”. Her name was Mary Grace, O’Connor describes her as not only being physically unattractive, but she also seemed to have a bad attitude which made her even more unsightly. In “Revelation,” O’Conner reveals her religious beliefs of everyone being equal in God’s eyes through a scene in a doctor’s office waiting room. Mrs. Turpin is a woman who is very prejudice and concerned about social status. She turns her nose to those that are “less” than her. The “ugly girl” senses this quality and suddenly hits her over the head with her college book and then proceeds to choke her. She called Mrs. Turpin a wart hog from hell. After this incident, Mrs. Turpin has a revelation. O’Connor says, “The message had been given to Ruby Turpin, a respectable, hard-working, church-going woman. Her tears dried. Her eyes began to burn instead with wrath” (479). She begins to question her previous beliefs about her being supreme to others. She did not understand why out of all the people she had been the one called out. The incident was her moment of grace. It made her see the bigger picture of life and treat others with a greater sense of equality. Flannery O’Conner is able to express her religious views through her characters and their actions.
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ReplyDeleteO’Connor present’s bizarre characters and plots that shock the reader into a transcended, or perhaps descended realization by moving them outside of society’s box of conformity and into her outside world. She presents initially “normal” scenes and then adds outré characters whose actions seem to pierce into the heart of the reader like an addicting poison, one that causes the reader to cringe with distaste and yet curiously continue reading. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” she twists a normal family vacation into an encounter with homicidally unstable criminal. The foreshadowing of the story is anything but subtle, as O’Connor opens the story with the feared narrative of the serial killer or, “The Misfit.” She then proceeds to hint at death through asphyxiation, a car accident, and a passing graveyard. It is as though O’Connor seeks to blatantly worn us that she is about to yank the literary acupuncture needles piercing our minds and heart into uncomfortable positions, namely the grotesque killings of the end. She seeks to prepare us for the pain like a dentist notifying us of the pain of an injection, although these warnings fail to reduce the pain, or in O’Connor’s case shock, to anything less than it is. When the entire family encounters The Misfit, they are taken into the forest by his assistants and killed one by one, father, mother, children. The grandmother adopts the role of a hypocritical preacher caught up in fatuousness social standing and religious importance. She repeats over and over as if she is trying to convince not only her killer, but herself that, “You wouldn’t kill a lady!” (454). The Misfit even blatantly contradicts the message of repentance and forgiveness through Jesus Christ the grandmother is attempting to convey by saying, “‘I found out the crime don’t matter. You can do one thing or you can do another, kill a man or take a tire off his car, because sooner or later you’re going to forget what it was you done and just be punished for it’” (453). The criminal’s rationalization of sin and crime rejects forgiveness through any religious figure of authority because according to his rationally insane mind, his sin is forgotten and becomes a lost memory of the past, thus losing severity with time. Furthermore, he sees punishment or justice as inevitable, therefore need for mercy through Jesus Christ is unnecessary. O’Connor challenges religious foundations like this by stating that society is run by imperfect people trying to conform to a so-called “perfect” gospel, a juxtaposing contradiction that ultimately proves to be incompatible. The father, son, and holy ghost represented in The Misfit’s three killing shots to the grandmother transform three touches of peace, blessing, and respect into deadly piercings of the grandmother’s deathbed of repentance. O’Connor cunningly question’s the societal obsession with status that fails to save the grandmother and religious principles that save no one and are cast aside like the lifeless bodies filled with innocent crucifying blood. To top off O’Connor’s Southernly Grotesque short story, she places the shirt of the grandmother’s son, Bailey, onto the back of the killer. The grandmother sees her own son in the Misfit’s troubled eyes, a comparison that draws the killer into her family circle and makes him a part of her, or perhaps a part of us all. The inward monster in every individual of mankind is only released by the choices of some and environmental circumstances of others. O’Connor unconventionally questions whether the good men that are hard to find actually exist or are only fleeting moments of civility in a naturally uncivil world.
ReplyDelete@Lauren-great job in pointing out the irony in the both stories
ReplyDelete@Bracey-liked how you pointed out the repulsiveness of the characters and good use of textual evidence
@Anna Cait-enjoyed reading the characterization that you provided of the grandma
@Caroline- loved how you brought in how the reader has to question their own spirituality upon reading the works of O’Connor
@Mcleod-good point brought up of how O’Connor brings in social problems and religion in her stories
@Cassie-liked you viewpoint of how the Misfit sees religion as a harm to him
@Sydney-good characterization of the grandma
@Tyler- enjoyed how you brought up the irony of the names
@Taylor-good job in explaining how O’Connor’s religious views are opposite of what she actually believes and good use of textual evidence
@Alexander-liked the point where you brought up the inner monster
Additional Commentary:
ReplyDelete@Bracey- good description of what Southern Gothic Literature is in O'Connor's works. Good tie in with the Bible.
@Anna Cait- I liked your interpretation of Mary Grace's action of throwing the textbook and knocking knowledge into her head.
@Mcleod- Good tie in with of moment of grace with "A Good Man is Hard to Find". Good explanation of Grandmother's position when she died.
@Sydney- Good interpretation of the Grandmother's actions, and I liked how you were able to tie in Misfit with Jesus and Grandmother's judgmental moment.
@Taylor- Great use of textual evidence outside of O'Connor's stories that still ties in with her works.
@Alexander- Great imagery in post. Feelings you describe definitely come across O'Connor's works.
Very impressive set of responses, and also very impressive BLOG administrators!!! You are models for future administrators! Well done!
ReplyDeleteWithin Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, the use of grotesque characters to reveal religious morals helps to classify this particular style as Southern Gothic Literature. In O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” the main focus of the story is the change seen in the grandmother before the trip to Florida and after the family is killed. The grandmother is portrayed as a very annoying, selfish, manipulative, and cold hearted woman who only thinks about things that benefit her. She does anything and everything possible to turn the family around because she does not want to go to Florida. She tries to give wrong directions, persuade the children to act out, and annoy the family to do what she wants. Her incessant talking causes the family to get in a car accident. The grandmother then tries to be the center of attention by faking an injury that no one pays attention to. The family tries to call for help but before help arrives, The Misfit and his gang of convicts show up. They are a group of convicts led by the most famous “The Misfit” who has just escaped jail. They kill off the family one by one. The grandmother only tries to save her own life instead of thinking of her family. The readers still see her selfishness. Then a sudden change in character comes over the grandmother. She tries to persuade The Misfit not to kill her but to turn to God and pray for forgiveness of his sins. She tells him a little about Jesus and tries not save herself but to save The Misfit from being sent to Hell after death. This reveals the grotesque character of the grandmother ultimately transforming in a good way by the end to show the religious message. Changing from and annoying, self-absorbed grandmother to a religious humble woman reveals the meaning of the short story. This is one of many grotesque characters that O’Connor uses to classify her style as Southern Gothic Literature.
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