Southern Gothic literature often expresses common family values of people living in the South. In “To Kill A Mockingbird”, “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”, and “The Flowers”, the authors use characters, setting, and the dialogue in an attempt to emphasize the family values of people living in the Southern region of the United States.
In Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird”, the Finches living in Maycomb County represent basic family values in the South. Atticus says to Scout, “Try fighting with your head for a change… it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning” (Lee 101). In this particular situation, Scout previously got into an argument with a classmate, Cecil Jacobs. When her father is informed, he tells her to be smart instead of physical when she faces a problem. Atticus does not condone fighting in his family, so he teaches them to “fight” using intelligence. Harper Lee is using the characters along with their actions to show how children are taught to defend themselves. Furthermore, the Finches do not allow cursing in their house while their kids are of a young age, “Bad language is a stage all children go through, and it dies with
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In the short story, Flannery O’Connor uses the characters to prove this point, “Teach her to say 'sugarpie,'" she said” (O’Connor 4). The older woman is taking advantage of Mr.Shiftlet by asking him to teach Lucynell, who is deaf, how to say sugarpie. This already tells the reader that the old woman wants them to get married before she becomes acquainted with Mr.Shiftlet. Even though Lucynell is in her thirties, her mother should not try to rush love. Eventually, Lucynell and Mr.Shiftlet wound up getting forced into marriage. The consequence was a separation, and Lucynell is left at a restaurant to fend for herself. The expectations of Lucynell and forced marriage come from her mother’s set of standards for their