O’Connor’s Use of Dynamic Grace - 979 Words

Throughout many of O’Connor’s short stories, a theme of religion and morality can be easily found. O’Connor’s stories explore a notion of struggles between her story’s main characters and their sacrilegious faults; these characters are typically depicted with the fatal-flaw of a superiority complex. This is of course, ironic due to the fact that many of these characters believe themselves to be pious Christians and though this entails that they should not retain a judgmental nature, they do so anyways believing themselves to be superior. Many times, O’Connor will introduce a dynamic character, seemingly out of nowhere, in order to test the moral-fiber of the story’s protagonist, and hopefully enlighten the protagonist with the grace of†¦show more content†¦She believes herself to be superior due to her racial status and wealth. Mrs. Turpin shouts insincere alleluias thanking God for â€Å"making everything the way it is! It c ould have been different!† (O’Connor 499) In order to make Mrs. Turpin aware of her self-righteous, bigoted disposition, O’Connor introduces a traumatic event in which a girl, disgusted by Mrs. Turpin’s demeanor, throws a book at Mrs. Turpin’s face and condemns her saying â€Å"Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog.† (O’Connor 500). This single action has such an impact on Mrs. Turpin that she begins to doubt her superiority and questions â€Å"how am I a hog and me both? How am I saved and from hell too?† (O’Connor 506) In the end, Mrs. Turpin has a vision of hell, her ultimate demise if she continues a path of a sinful disposition. Once again, O’Connor has used a solitary character to abruptly approach a character’s conceited nature, and introduce enlightenment. These three stories all involve a protagonist with a character flaw that remains unbeknownst to them, until a dynamic character is introduced. O’Connor uses the three stories to explore a common trait of superiority found within those who claim to be pious. Being of Christian faith herself, it is understandable that O’Connor would want to explore this notion of corruption found within those claiming to be of faith. These protagonist’s fatal flaws are meant to represent a very realShow MoreRelatedAssessment of Grandmothers Character in a Good Man Is Hard to Find1476 Words   |  6 PagesAn Assessment of the Grandmother from â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Connor The grandmother who remains unnamed all throughout in the story is the protagonist and the central character of Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is hard to Find, a tragic story of a family who decided to go on vacation but got killed randomly on the road by a criminal on the loose named â€Å"The Misfit†. She is endowed with a joyful spirit, a passion in life in spite of her age. She is a non-stereotypicalRead MoreFlannery O’Connors Revelation and the Power of Religion Essay1316 Words   |  6 PagesThough her literature does not preach, she uses subtle, thematic undertones and it is apparent that as her characters struggle through violence and pain, divine grace is thrown at them. In her story â€Å"Revelation,† the protagonist, Mrs. Turpin, acts sanctimoniously, but ironically the virtue that gives her eminence is what brings about her downfall. Mrs. Turpin’s veneer of so called good behavior fails to fill the void that would bring he r to heaven. Grace hits her with force and their illusions, causingRead MoreFlannery O Connor s Revelation1307 Words   |  6 PagesThough her literature does not preach, she uses subtle, thematic undertones and it is apparent that as her characters struggle through violence and pain, divine grace is thrown at them. In her story â€Å"Revelation,† the protagonist, Mrs. Turpin, acts sanctimoniously, but ironically the virtue that gives her eminence is what brings about her downfall. Mrs. Turpin’s veneer of so called good behavior fails to fill the void that would bring her to heaven. Grace hits her with force and their illusions, causingRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesfor they introduce us to information that would otherwise be unavailable and thus increase our knowledge and understanding of present events. Evaluating Plot Having studied a given story or novel, to see how the author has arranged and made us use the elements of plot, we should be ready to evaluate his or her success. The customary test of a plot’s effectiveness is its unity: the degree to which each episode and the place it occupies in the narrative structure of the work bear in some necessary