Biography

        Flannery O’Connor, born a single child to Catholic parents, and grew up living a “largely uneventful” life on a Georgian farm (Meyer 351). Her writings do not portray this however, as she wrote with religious undertones while introducing secular characters into her stories, making them quite intriguing to readers. She most likely found her inspiration from going to a public school after moving to central Georgia, and, being from a strong Catholic background, came face to face with these secular ideas and worldly-minded people for the first time. Her stories also have southern settings or ties considering that is where she had the most experiences in her unexpectedly short lifetime (Meyer 352). At age 25, O’Connor was diagnosed with lupus, “a rare, incurable blood disease”, which her father had also passed away from while she was only in high school (Meyer 351). She died 14 years later at age 39, but even so, she was later recognized for her works accomplished in her lifetime; she finished two novels, and won the National Book Award for her collection of short stories titled “The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor” (Meyer 350).

Literary Devices in O'Connor's Works

One example of a literary device present in O'Connor's writing is the use of foreshadowing. In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, O’Connor uses foreshadowing about the escaped criminal though the grandmother’s words in the beginning of the story to predict their interaction with The Misfit in the future. “ ‘Now look here Bailey,’ she said, ‘here read this’, and she stood with one hand on her thin hip and the other rattling the newspaper at his bald head. ‘Here this fellow that calls himself the misfit is aloose from the federal pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it says he did to these people. Just you read it. I wouldn't take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn't answer to my conscience if I did’ ”(O’Connor 356). That quote foreshadows “The grandmother shrieked. She scramble to her feet and stood staring. ‘You're the misfit!’ she said. ‘I recognized you at once!’ ” (O’Connor 362). 

Rationale for selection: By talking about the Misfit from the very first few sentences of the story, it causes the audience to remember the name and take its significance into consideration before knowing the rest of the plot. It also foreshadows the grandmother recognizing the criminal after how she was the one who warned her son about the possible dangers associated with their traveling. 

Another example of a literary device is irony found in O'Connor's story "Good Country People".“But she was as sensitive about the artificial leg as a peacock about its tail. No one ever touched it but her. She took care of it as someone else would his soul, in private and almost with her own eyes turned away” (O’Connor 378). 

Rationale for selection: Hulga’s strong walls were brought down by the boy, and she began to trust him more than anyone else. She compared her soul to the leg, and so she felt as if she was sharing with him a piece of herself. By stealing her wooden leg, he had literally stolen a piece of her and the trust that she could never get back.

Perspective Reading

Time Magazine wrote a review on O'Connor's short story, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find", describing the characteristics of the style that she incorporates into all of her writings:

"Highly unladylike. . . a brutal irony, a slam-bang humor, and a style of writing as balefully direct as a death sentence.

From Time Magazine blurb quotes on the cover of the second American edition of A Good Man Is Hard to Find." (Meyer 400).

Question: How accurate do you think this blurb is in characterizing the three O’Connor stories [A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Good Country People, and Revelation] in this chapter?

Answer:

       Yes, I think that her writing is “unladylike”, as said by Time magazine, in that the words don't seem to be coming from the pen of a lady.The topics and plots she highlights are not ones normally picked by women in that time period. The story that strikes me as the most so is in “Good Country People” when Hulga and the boy are kissing in the loft. I also agree with the directness in her writing. The abrupt way in which events happen, and how she states them so plainly make her writings unique. The one I could not get over was how the entire family, along with the grandmother, were shot by The Misfit in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”. She also incorporates a lot of irony into her style, with multiple instances in each story. This creates a deeper sense of meaning for the reader, such as being aware of the situation when Mrs. Hopewell sees the boy wandering off and calling him a “simple”, innocent soul, when the audience knows of his thievery only moments earlier.

Why Should We Study the Works of Flannery O'Connor?

Flannery O’Connor is an author worthy of study because her stories have unique and thrilling twists that surprise readers, while also challenging them with life lessons concerning faith. Her stories captivated me personally; I began each of her stories quite unsure of where the plot was leading. She described the setting and characters, as well as their attributes, in great detail, giving much background information before diving into the rest of the story. This allowed me to feel like I understood the characters before the action began, such as knowing the cause of Hulga's bitterness and unwillingness to trust people. That made the effect of the Bible-selling boy stealing her leg more emotional for the readers, because we realized how difficult it was for her to open up to him, only to be hurt and betrayed. Secondly, I was impressed by the unexpected turn of events in all of her short stories. Just when it seemed like there is no climax, she surprised me with a startling action by one or more of the characters, such as Mary Grace suddenly throwing the book at Mrs. Turpin and trying to strangle her, or the escaped criminals shooting the entire family in the woods. I had to read these events through twice to grasp what was happening, and I think that's what she intended for readers to do.

The character I found to be the most interesting was Mary Grace. The interaction between her and Mrs. Turpin mystified me, and I couldn't read if she was mentally unstable, or she was just a crabby teenager. I had never thought of a situation like that happening in such an ordinary place, and how it was useful in taming Mrs. Turpin’s ego. That particular story, Revelation, challenged me in my own worldview. I have always grown up in respected Christian home, and the way I live has sometimes caused me to look down on others because of their sin or certain behaviors. It is important for me to release that God’s salvation is relevant for all people, not just “good” Christians. All sins, races, and statuses are equal in His sight, so I am no different than any other person, and this story was a good reminder of that.

  

Flannery O'Connor