Theme Of Violence In Flannery O Connor's Short Stories

Humans, by their very nature, become egocentric. People tend to think of themselves as more important than they really are and look down upon others. In Flannery O’Connor’s short stories this part of human nature is explored and the egocentric people receive their comeuppance. The process of dispelling this aspect of humanity often involves violence. In Flannery O’Connor’s work, violence is the unexpected bearer and path to grace, disillusionment, and salvation. In Flannery O’Connor’s short stories the receiving of grace is only possible through violence. According to Patrick Garrett York,”...grace; violence has an unavoidable and important role in the text.”(York 210). The meaning of this is that in O’Connor’s stories it is necessary for

This can be summed up as,”... an accepted vision or philosophy is smashed by reality and the deluded individual is left to see his own moral inadequacy or spiritual poverty.”(Furnell 3). During the course of many of her stories, the accepted vision of oneself is removed by violence and they see their flaws as they really are. Joy in “Good Country People” is a demonstration of this. When she meets Manley Pointer she falls for his tricks, and only when he takes her artificial leg and mocks her does she realize that she is not as important and smart as she thought she was. At this moment she became disillusioned and through the violent actions of Manley Pointer and realizes her own hypocrisy. O’Connor uses violence as a tool to remove false ideas and ideals that people hold on

This is clearly depicted in “Revelation” when Mrs. Turpin, the main character, became a receiver of this unexpected grace. Mary Grace, a character in the scene, attacked Mrs. Turpin and said,”Go back to hell where you came from, you old warthog.” (O’Connor 500). This act of violence resonated within Mrs. Turpin and showed her the path to salvation. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the Grandmother watched her family’s death. This act of violence made an aperture in the grandmother’s faith life and allowed her to have a moment in which she felt regretful for having squandered her life on doing nothing and discovered a means for salvation. The violence in O’Connor’s stories teaches the corrupt a means of