Greats of American Literature: Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964)

Flannery O'Connor was born March 25, 1925, and died August 3, 1964, due to her long-term battle with the incurable disease of disseminated lupus, after being diagnosed in 1950. Despite the fact she was a writer, she also had an interest in being a cartoonist, which is seen by many of her characters' descriptions from their dialogue and bodily gestures. O'Connor is probably one of the best-known short story writers in the history of American Literature, and although she passed at the unfortunate young age of 39, her classic Southern Gothic stories still live on and are learned and studied by many students in middle school, high school, and college. O'Connor's work focused on grotesque themes with a Southern twist, and often ended with coincidental irony and just the complete opposite than what the reader expects to happen. Some of her most famous short stories include "Good Country People," "A Good Man Is Hard To Find," and "The Geranium." 

"A Good Man Is Hard To Find" by Flannery O'Connor

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One short story which I've enjoyed reading is "A Good Man Is Hard To Find." In this story, a man named Bailey takes his family and mother (called "the grandmother") on a summer vacation trip, but they run into trouble along the way when their car nearly falls into a ditch.

Shortly after, they encounter a car of three men who the grandmother assumes will help them, but little do they know, these men are escaped prisoners, led by "The Misfit." The family, which consists of Bailey, his wife, his son John Wesley, his daughter June Star, and a baby boy are gradually shot and killed while taken into the woods by the two other prisoners that escaped with "The Misfit," until the Christian grandmother is the last remaining. The grandmother panics and consults "The Misfit" in hopes of convincing him he's a good man and having him spare her life, but he doesn't. And instead, "The Misfit" shoots the grandmother three times in fury due to his doubts in Jesus, claiming life has "no pleasure but meanness."

The title of this short story is ironic, however, because the grandmother firstly perceives "The Misfit" as a bad, dangerous man who she'd never let around her children, but when she is in his presence, she changes her talk and sees him as a good man, though in society, a good man is not perceived as a criminal of the law.

"Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor

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Within this story, O'Connor teaches the valuable lesson that people's differences should not be seen as inferior or superior and that one should not make misconceptions or false assumptions about anyone.  This is because what you see with your eyes may not be what you're really looking at. In other words, someone could be very different than what he or she portrays to you, and this is exactly what happened in the story. One of the main characters, Joy, whose real name is Hulga made a misconception about a teenage bible salesman whose name was supposedly Manley Pointer.

However, in the end, the bible salesman had only misused Joy for his own advantage and stole her wooden leg to add to his awkward collection. The title "Good Country People" is also ironic because not one of the characters within the story is good country people as the title makes it seem, but all the characters possess bad traits and habits.

"The Geranium" by Flannery O'Connor

This last short story I'll discuss of O'Connor called "The Geranium" centers on an old white man named Old Dudley who has moved to New York City due to the request of his daughter. Originally from the South, Old Dudley holds on to his Southern ideals and prejudices against black people and compares his past life in the country, slow-paced south of Georgia with the hustle and bustle of city life. As many of her works, O'Connor used symbolism in writing this particular story. Old Dudley keeps and tends to a geranium which represents himself and his former lifestyle and Southern beliefs.

Then one day, a new black neighbor in the same apartment as Old Dudley and his daughter, and unlike fellow men Rabie and Lutish who treated him with respect and in power of control, treats Old Dudley like he's helpless due to his old age, which brings a shift in Old Dudley's life he hasn't ever experienced before. He's used to telling others what to do, but learns that in the city things are a lot different.

In the end, the black neighbor helps Old Dudley upstairs, and Old Dudley is incapable of making eye contact with the man. This also symbolizes Old Dudley's lack of power. When Old Dudley makes it to his room, he looks out the window, only to see his flowerpot of the geranium smashed in pieces. It had fallen six stories down, a symbol of being buried six feet under when one dies. Old Dudley might've been used to control, but we're all the same when it comes to growing old and death.

A Short clip about the short story "The Geranium"

Sources:

[Image of Flannery O'Connor from: https://news.fordham.edu]

[Image of 'A Good Man Is Hard To Find' book from: https://www.amazon.com]

Bayum, Nina. Levine, Robert S. The Norton Anthology American Literature: 1865 to the Present. Vol. 2 2013. Print.

Labels: American Literature, short stories, fiction, Southern Gothic, greats of american literature

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