The readers who are familiar with Flannery O’Connor’s fictional world might probably admit that it resembles a gallery of freaks deformed both in body and spirit. Her short stories contain numerous portrayals of aberrant behaviour as well as frequent descriptions of pathological states. Moreover, the author acquaints the reader with her characters’ predicament and its consequences. It seems that an inherent element of these protagonists’ abnormal behaviour is their total lack of control over their lives. Although they believe, they are capable of holding their fate in their own hands, their impotence invariably becomes apparent. O’Connor’s characters suffer defeat attempting to wield influence on their actions and end up entangled in the destructive vortex they cannot defy. These struggles often lead to death. Alternatively, the protagonists experience the state of death-in-life. The American writer’s stories portray the figure whose existence is submitted to the supremacy of a mysterious force. This inexplicable energy contributes to the alleviation of the character’s desperate state, induced by his abnormal conduct.
How does the aberrant behaviour manifest itself and how does the afflicted hero eliminate chaos from his life? First of all, the significance of death in the protagonist’s metamorphosis is worth mentioning. Patrick Galloway portrays O’Connor’s characters’ death as a positive process. Her short stories abound with violent and shocking scenes of death. For instance, the Polish immigrant, Guizac, is crushed by a tractor in “The Displaced Person”; Mrs May, the main heroine of “Greenleaf”, meets her end being impaled on the bull’s horn; the grandmother gets shot by the serial killer in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and two main heroes of “A View of the Woods” – Mr Fortune and his granddaughter beat each other to death. Appalling and useless as the brutality of these scenes appears, it fulfils an essential function.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- The Impact of the Mysterious Force on the Degenerate Characters' Transformation in the Selected Short Stories by Flannery O'Connor
- How does the aberrant behaviour manifest itself and how does the afflicted hero eliminate chaos from his life?
- As far the course of the “self-intoxicated”³ protagonist's transformation is concerned, the final scene of “Greenleaf” portrays the metamorphosis Mrs May undergoes confronting her brutal destiny.
- The farm owners are not the only type of self-satisfied protagonists that Flannery O'Connor depicts in her fiction. The grandmother in "A Good Man is Hard to Find", is another example of a character whose fate must be determined by external factors.
- The first signs indicating the transformation of O'Connor's protagonist emerge from the outside. Nature does not seem to be favourably inclined towards the hero. In "A View of the Woods" trees are “sullen” and weather is “indifferent”.
- Trauma and chaos in reality inhabited by figures created by O'Connor eventually terminate. The inexplicable force whose influence on the character's transformation seemed disastrous at times, appears to be the most relevant factor of the protagonist's maturation.
- Conclusion
- Literaturverzeichnis
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte
This essay aims to analyze the impact of a mysterious force on the transformation of degenerate characters in selected short stories by Flannery O'Connor. It explores how these characters, often characterized by aberrant behavior and a lack of control over their lives, are confronted with a force that challenges their self-perception and ultimately leads to their transformation.
- The role of death in the characters' metamorphosis
- The significance of external forces in shaping the characters' destinies
- The characters' struggle with self-deception and the need for humility
- The concept of grace and its attainment through suffering
- The use of nature imagery to reinforce the characters' internal states
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel
The essay begins by introducing Flannery O'Connor's fictional world, characterized by its portrayal of aberrant behavior and the characters' struggle with their own limitations. It highlights the significance of death in the characters' transformation, arguing that it serves as a catalyst for self-awareness and the acceptance of their own inadequacies. The essay then examines the transformation of Mrs May in "Greenleaf," highlighting how her encounter with death leads to a newfound understanding of her own limitations and the need for humility. It also explores the grandmother's journey in "A Good Man is Hard to Find," emphasizing how her self-deception and distorted perception of life ultimately lead to her demise. The essay concludes by analyzing the role of nature imagery in O'Connor's stories, suggesting that it serves to reinforce the characters' internal states and foreshadow their eventual transformation.
Schlüsselwörter
The key themes and keywords of this text include Flannery O'Connor, short stories, degenerate characters, transformation, mysterious force, death, self-deception, humility, grace, nature imagery, and the Southern Gothic genre. The essay explores how these elements contribute to the complex and often unsettling world of O'Connor's fiction.
- Quote paper
- M.A. Anna Dabek (Author), 2008, The Impact of the Mysterious Force on the Degenerate Characters’ Transformation in the Selected Short Stories by Flannery O’Connor, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/284450
