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How Does O Connor Present The Theme Of Identity In Good Country People

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"Jesus shown everything off balance. It was the same case with Him as with me except He hadn't committed any crime and they could prove I had committed one because they had the papers on me. Of course," - A Good Man Is Hard To Find. This quote from Flannery O’Conner’s short story symbolizes the complex idea that there's no proof of the existence of god. And although this is portrayed in a pessimistic way, it is a valid argument to make that O’Connor tries to make her readers think about and answer. Many people believe that O’Connor could have better used her skill as a writer to make stories that aren’t half as depressing on life but, the message that she communicates about humanity is the dark reality without the veil of light. So, O'Connor's …show more content…

Hulga is a stubborn-minded young woman that believes she is superior to others because they are delusional. This is a result of her losing her leg as a young girl and it causes her to believe in nothing. When she tries to seduce the bible salesman Manley Pointer, she talks about how life is meaningless and reassurance in faith leads to false …show more content…

O’Conner provides us with critical viewpoints about human nature, perception, values, real issues, truth, morals, and internal spiritual struggle. Everyone has some purpose or meaning that they try to find and long for, yet most of us will risk what makes us humans to achieve that enlightenment which in most cases, contradicts it. The idea of image and identity is also tied in with values because who we are comes down to what we value and how we compose ourselves to attain or uphold that. Now in O’Connor’s stories, she takes the worst out of humans and slowly peels the layers off of their being to show the readers who people truly are, what they want, what kind of truths can we learn from them, what morals they uphold, and what kind of conflicts that they have. By understanding these complex questions, the reality of things can be shown and it can even help enlighten the reader to question themselves. So, we come to ask ourselves, “What does this imply about Flannery O’Conner?” Well, this not only shows her creative story-crafting talents and critical thinking skills, but it also shows that she is someone who cares about the truth and bluntness in life. And although she included the idea of religion based on her environment growing

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In the first part, Flannery O'Connor builds a structure using archetypes so she can use them to deliver a powerful message in the second part. In this story, the author's intent was to write a tragedy where an innocent character is tormented and then killed. The treatment of the grandmother in the early section of the story sets her up to this pattern. This comes about in many ways.

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This breakdown in secular knowledge is revealed through Hulga’s loss of her glasses and her artificial leg, the two symbols of her intellectual acumen. Although Hulga claims to “see through to nothing’” and has “taken off our blindfolds,” she only possesses a nonspiritual vision (O’Connor 287-288). When Pointer takes her glasses she does not notice, but when her artificial leg is seized she “felt entirely dependent on him” and “stopped thinking all together” (O’Connor 289). The glasses and the artificial leg are both things that Hulga takes pride in, but they also prove to be symbols of her vulnerability. Thus, now that Hulga no longer has the glasses to only see the secular world and the artificial leg to stand on her own, she is ready to experience her epiphany.

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America is seen as a Fantasyland by some. However, the reality can be rooted in the ugliness and stubborn behavior of those who believe they are better than others, only to fall victim to their limitations and biases. The rejection of tradition allows Andersen to write about the change in American reality and the ideal of fake news as the standard to debunk anything that does not fit the narrative of America in the shining light. O’Connor did this through her writing of characters where no one is exempt from having a negative side because, as humans, the duality of a person's behavior is that of good and good intentions. Both authors let the readers see the actual image of American culture and, possibly, remove the blindness associated with fantasy and

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Her religious views are interwoven into her writing, and understanding her background and beliefs allows the reader to glean a deeper understanding of the text. Fact 3: O’Connor lived in the South, and “her life was centered in the South” (Bradford 354). As she lived in the South, many of her stories either take place in the South or inhibit characters that are from the South. Fact 4: After

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O’Connor focuses on critiquing the period of the “Decaying South”. The “Decaying South” was a time where society was morally corrupt, and women faced sexism. She portrays this with the characters of Mr. Shiftlet, Miss Crater, and Mrs. Crater. It illustrates the selfishness and cruelty of humankind, which unfortunately still exists today. However, this artwork contributes to the idea of how selfishness is hurtful to oneself in the end.

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Yichen Guo Ms. Carroll Lit of the South April. 12 , 2017 Symbolism in Flannery O'Connor's stories Flannery O’Connor is one of the greatest southern female writer, and her use of literary techniques is masterful. Most significantly, the uses of symbolism such as sky, name, and Christianity in Flannery O'connor's stories give more depth and meaning to those stories, as it links the themes and develops the plot of the stories. The sunset and the sky have important symbolisms in Flannery O'connor's stories; mostly they not only indicate the emotional stages of the characters, but also signify the start of character's epiphany.

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Hulga shares this characteristic when it comes to her attempt to seduce Manley, “[s]he imagined that she took his remorse in hand and changed it into a deeper understanding of life” (O’Connor 293). Despite their shared qualities, Hulga’s believed superiority hinders her ability to look deeper. While she is resentful of her mother’s simple expressions, she does not know what she actually believes about others. This emphasizes Hulga’s lack of awareness of her mother’s true beliefs, which in turn highlights her inability to think critically about others. Furthermore, Mrs.Hopewell’s misleading comments regarding her religion also reveal faults in Hulga’s thinking.

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Hulga has a degree in philosophy but, none of this is shown when she goes in a barn, takes off her leg and tries to seduce Manley. The study of philosophy focuses on knowledge, values and reason which ironically, is not proven based on her actions. She has no reason to support her actions rather than Manley’s way of luring her into his wrong ways. O’Connor wants the reader to understand that it’s important to use what one has learned. Don’t just throw the information away, because it can change the outcome of

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Flannery O’Connor’s short stories have an underlying theme of redemption and grace. In her story “ A Good Man is Hard to find” that theme is very prevalent. In the way she presents the misfit and his horrible antics and still gives him redeeming qualities that really make him one of the most likable characters out of the whole story. Or in the grandmothers introduction when it seemed she was making her sound like a brass and cold, old woman when in reality she was a lost old soul who just needed a shot at redemption. It is even present in the numbers she choose in the story and the way they are closely inter-twined with religion.

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There are many dark themes in the book like overdose, suicide, disregard for human life, and censorship. This book introduces these themes in a manner that makes these societal problems less traumatic for young minds comprehend. Ellen Hopkins believes this and expands on it when she writes "Books dealing with edgy, dark subject matter such as addiction, abuse, suicide, and teen prostitution can offer young adult readers a broader perspective on the world..." (Hopkins). If teens are not introduced to these dark themes at a young age, they will be ignorant of the same issues when they grow up.

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In her short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor is brutally honest in confronting her audience, which presumably differs from her staunch Catholic point of view. Using elements of distortion and exaggeration, O’Connor points out the atrocities of the world she and her audience live in—America in the 1950s and 60s. Racial tensions and political decisions proved divisive, corrupting and splitting America. O’Connor believes that her audience was part of the self-righteous, judgmental, and morally corrupt divisions of America—divisions embodied by the main character: the grandmother. O’Connor writes with great conviction to convey the idea that even the most unlikely of people, including those with great obstacles to salvation,

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“A Good Man is Hard to find”, was one of Ms. Flannery O’Connor’s well known story that shows what she is known for in her writing : violence, well thought characters with humor, and shows her Roman Catholic faith. Throughout the story, there are certain details that make the story what it seems to be than what Ms. O’Connor had to portray. Although it would be seen as a shocking violent murder plot all in one, there can be another side to the story as well. In the story of A Good Man is Hard to Find shows that people would think O’Connor was mocking religion, in actuality she was not. The characters in the story are used to expose the idea between good and evil and hypocrisy.

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Instead of having pride in her good works and her moral excellence, she puts her pride in her intellect. Hulga went to school and was very interested in studies of philosophy and deep thinking (Good Country People p4). She looks at people, such as her mother, Mrs Hopewell, and Mrs. Freeman as uneducated people who talk about nothing important (Good Country People p.2-3). She actually changed her legal name just to spite her mother, who originally named her Joy. She also continues to refuse belief in any sort of religious entity, claiming that it is all a blindfold.

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Freeman Bailey Freeman Hensley English 11/ Fourth Period 05 March 2018 Part 14: Rough Draft #2 In Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” she writes, “If you would pray,’ the old lady said, ‘Jesus would help you.’

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Moreover, her place of upbringing would also play a major role on her work. Growing in the heart of South, she lived the heinous face of racism. She saw how people, blinded by hate and bigotry can commit grotesque acts of violence. A great majority of O 'Connor 's work deals with Catholic traditions and how they influence the lives of everyday people.

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