The Unobtainable Good Things in O’Connor’s A Late Encounter with the Enemy

851 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Flannery o connor writing style

The Unobtainable Good Things in O’Connor’s A Late Encounter with the Enemy

I have Seen the Enemy and it is Myself . . .

. . . . She wanted the General at her graduation because she wanted to show what she stood for, or, as she said, "what all was behind her," and was not behind them. This them was not anybody in particular. It was just all the upstarts who has turned the world on its head and unsettled the ways of decent living. (134)

These are the thoughts of Sally Poker Sash, as offered by Flannery O'Connor in the second paragraph of her story "A Late Encounter with the Enemy." Sally, a sixty-two year old school teacher, is receiving a college degree that has taken her twenty years to earn. She should be proud of her accomplishment. Of course she should be proud. She proves true the old adages, "its never too late" and "good things come to those who wait." Isn't it possible though, that in some situations, the "good things" come too late and when they do arrive they are not so good? I think O'Connor, through this story, is trying to warn us (the readers) of that possibility.

The first paragraph of "A Late Encounter" is told from the point-of-view of Sally's grandfather, General Tennessee Flintrock Sash. O'Connor makes it very clear to us that the old man doesn't "give two slaps for her graduation." Surely, his attitude is apparent to Sally, too. Sally is aware of his attitude, too. Why, then, is it so important to her that he live to see her graduation? In the above passage, Sally offers three seemingly simple, but in actuality, complicated explanations for her prayer.

Sally states explicitly that she wants her grandfather to attend her graduation because she "wanted to show what she stood for." This is very ...

... middle of paper ...

...tory, opting instead to make for themselves a false past? Ironically, Sally is guilty of using this false past to impress the Dean and guarantee her degree.

Graduation day arrives and Sally is ready for the "good thing" that she has waited so long for to arrive. Alas, if it is her grandfather that she wants to prove something to, she is out of luck. O'Conner cheats Sally out of her moment of glory. We learn at the end of the story that the old man dies while on stage at the graduation, oblivious to Sally receiving her diploma. Afterwards, her young nephew, the "crafty scout" John Wesley Poker Sash, hastily bumped the corpse out the back way so that he could get to the Coca-Cola machine; thus depriving Sally of her moment to gloat in front of him. Dammit! Cheated out of triumph again. Sally Sash (whose middle name is after all Poker) had bet on the past and lost.

Show More
Related

  • And When We Awoke there Was Light by Laura Jacqmin

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    Katie’s teacher, Mr. Dubey, puts a very high emphasis on the students at Katie’s school about how important school is. Because Katie starts to feel bad for using David to get into Harvard, his attitude toward the topic changes and he tells that she should be self-serving and not really care what people say and to not "ruin the rest of your life just because you feel a little guilty right now"(74). All of these conflicting messages on what Katie should be like, how she should treat others an...

    Read More

  • Life Lessons in Maya Angelou's Graduation

    1703 Words  | 4 Pages

    From the outset of the story there is an overwhelming sense of hope that has enveloped the entire community and school with the upcoming graduation. The communitie's involvement strengthens the authors excitement in her rite of passage. Everyone is preparing for the ceremony and seeking to see how it will affect the lives of those involved. "Only a small percentage would be continuing on to college" (835) and others were just excited for the "glorious release" (834) from school. She felt like she was on top of the world, after all, "the graduating classes themselves were the nobility" (834). It is obvious how much pride she takes in her community by the way she describes her class as "an extended family." (834). The author's school was not the most impressive school compared to the white schools in the area but that could not damper the spirit that was filling the air. Parents who were buying or making new outfits for their graduates made everyone including the author the center of attention. Her "momma launched out on [hers]," (835) and she was swollen with pride that she was going to be a walking mod...

    Read More

  • Jamestown Colony Analysis

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kupperman argues that the geographical location along with the lack of potential profit (until the introduction of the tobacco plant by John Rolfe) was the prime components which resulted in the rocky start of the colony. "One reason was its site, which proved to be a very poor choice of promoting the well-being of the people who tried to live there...was a time of environmental crisis that made establishing a thriving settlement even more difficult." The fact that the Jamestown colony eventually began to develop value does not expunge it of its past and it does not change the foundation upon which it was

    Read More

  • The Years of Plague by F. F. Cartwright

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    The massive loss of population caused by the spread of plague in 1348-1350 could, on a simplistic view, be credited with causing such widespread social change. However, Cartwright cautions against assuming that these changes occurred solely as a result of the Black Death. He makes a cogent argument for the Black Death as a catalyst, but not the cause, of change. Discontent with the Church and the ruling class, and the demise of the feudal system, had already begun prior to the Black Death, which merely hastened changes made inevitable by inequitable laws, increasing freedom for some and the attendant dissatisfaction of those who were not.

    Read More

  • The Black Death

    1212 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Great Pestilence that haunted Europe in Medieval times took out more than a third of its population. After diseased rats and fleas made their way to the ports of Messina, Sicily by ships the plague spread across Europe ever so quickly. People were falling ill and dying within days, and there was nothing anyone could do. Close friends became sick and delusional, and Europe’s people began to lose hope. Church goers lost faith in god, and others punished their selves for forgiveness. The Black Death also caused the fall of feudalism. With all of the serfs and peasants dying off, there were only few left to work fields and harvest crops. This meant higher payouts. Finally in the year 1350, the plague died off, but reappeared every few generations.

    Read More

  • The Black Death

    1673 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...omes fell, resulting in the piles of accounts which survived the period of the Black Death. Many villages and hamlets were deserted and never inhabited again. Feudalism seemed to end with the coming of the Black Death, and many believe the two are directly related. Feudalism is known as the system of service in return for a grant of land, burdening the peasant with many obligations to his lord. The payments involved in feudalism were to be paid upon entering any land holdings, marriage, death, or any other occasions by which the individual lord and peasant agree. The plague seemed to speed up this process by dramatically reducing the number of peasants, and communication accelerated the matter.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The Duel by O. Henry

    585 Words  | 2 Pages

    Why are outsiders so fascinated with New York Is it the way that our city is portrayed by producers & directors? To the typical native New Yorker there is nothing special about the location in which we live it’s just average. the common notion to outsiders it that new York is this great city surrounded by fashion, gilts and glamour, normally they think of Manhattan which includes one world trade, the empire state building, central park, etc. people who aren’t from our city don’t know what it’s like to live here, they don’t understand what it takes out of someone to constantly put up with the stench, the noise, the exorbitant prices of everything & the long unending winters.

    Read More

  • Radicalism in Mary Wollstonecraft’s Writing

    562 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...t she wanted to see, she sees that these young wives are not yet fit to raise a family, and she isn’t afraid to see her idea fail. One of her famous quotes from “Brainy Quote” was, “Virtue can only flourish among equals.”

    Read More

  • Social Class In Jeannette Walls The Glass Castle

    1160 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ever since she was a young girl. Jeannette had set high goals for herself. Since she was so advanced in school and genuinely enjoyed learning, it made sense that she would want to do big things with her life. Whether it was being a veterinarian or a geologist, her dreams extended far beyond her homes in little desert towns or Welch, West Virginia. However, because of her poverty-stricken home life, many people believed it didn’t seem likely that she would be so successful. One day, while living in Welch, Jeannette goes to the bar to drag her drunk father back home. A neighborhood man offers them a ride back to their house, and on the ride up he and Jeannette start a conversation about school. When Jeannette tells the man that she works so hard in school because of her dream careers, the man laughs saying, “for the daughter of the town drunk, you sure got big plans” (Walls 183). Immediately, Jeannette tells the man to stop the car and gets out, taking her father with her. This seems to be a defining moment in which Jeannette is first exposed to the idea that she is inferior to others. Although this man said what he did not mean to offend her, Jeannette is clearly very hurt by his comment. To the reader, it seems as if she had never thought that her family’s situation made her subordinate to those

    Read More

  • Positive and Negative Results of The Black Plague

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most important results of the Black Death is the end of feudalism. The labor force was so low that workers could refuse to work, demand a wage, and the aristocrats had no choice but to listen. Peasant revolts in France and England also played an important role in the end of feudalism. The French government, in an attempt to pay ransom to England for the return of their king, spiked tax rates on the French residents. The peasants at the time felt that the government was weak, and the increased taxes infuriated them, resulting in a rebellion that came to be known as the Jacquerie. Similar events took place in England a generation later. In 1381, peasants rebelled against high tax rates and frozen wages by marching on London an...

    Read More

  • Elizabeth Cady Stanton's Use of Rhetorical Devices in a Women's Speech

    639 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...n our country. She’s saying that the advancement of women is getting stuck between a rock and a hard place. This was such a strong point in her speech because it shed light into the logical thinking, and made a historical connection to slavery. By making this connection, she was able to help many see that women were convicted slaves to the current state of the union.

    Read More

  • Jamestown and Plymouth

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    The English had two main colonies in the new world, Jamestown and Plymouth. The first colony was Jamestown, established in Virginia in 1607. Jamestown was settled by Captain John Smith, and was named after King James I. Tobacco was the main export of Jamestown, and became the basis of the Jamestown economy, sending more than 50,000 lbs of the plan back to Europe by 1618 (textbook 46). Jamestown had a very rocky start, many colonists dying in the first few years of the settlement, and the settlers had many problems with natives. Shortly after the arrival of English colonists the Natives attacked them, and were finally forced back by a canon from the English. A very uneasy truce was finally settled between the natives, called the Powhatans, and the English (textbook 44-5). Economic growth and expanding their territories were the main priorities of the English in the Jamestown colonies.

    Read More

  • Hugh O'Neill as the Tragic Hero of Making History

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Making History Hugh O'Neill was a well-liked character who also proved himself not only a good man, but intelligent and sensible. He inspires a large amount of sympathy in the audience. O?Neill had been fighting, backed by the Irish population, for Spain's support to rid themselves of the English for many years.

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth Character Analysis

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...man’s hopes died and they were saddened by her death. It was their cry within women because they had lost hope that they could be strong and ambitious.

    Read More

  • A Critique of Confucian Morality

    1609 Words  | 4 Pages

    For many centuries, Confucianism has been widely revered by the Chinese for its emphasis on morality. Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BCE, is different to most philosophers in that he showed no interest questioning his existence, the possibility of a God, or the reality that he seemed to live in; instead he focused on the human relations side of philosophy as it was his belief that people should “give (themselves) earnestly to the duties due to men … (and) keep aloof from (spiritual beings)” (Confucius 195). By negating the metaphysical side of philosophy, he was able to devote himself to mold his disciples into ideal gentleman who were morally righteous, and were able to benefit society. He believed in the importance of individuals who knew their roles in an well-structured society, that was a feudal system. In his opinion, the ideal gentleman should be obedient to his elders, have humanness and be morally righteous. Through his teachings, he was able to reform an entire country; the Chinese found Confucianism to embody practices of humaneness that they could apply in their daily lives through his religion.

    Read More

More about The Unobtainable Good Things in O’Connor’s A Late Encounter with the Enemy

Open Document