Religion is an apt matter in concern with its usage in literature and short stories. Flannery O’Connor especially weaves a multitude of religious themes and symbols in her short stories. Her background and beliefs influence her in her writings and provide exemplary results in her stories. The personalization of O’Connor and her religious themes found in her short stories provide a greater meaning about the story as a whole and even give perspective into O’Connor’s persona and her thoughts behind her choices in her writings. Because of the significance of religious themes and symbols found in the context of O’Connor’s short stories and literature and in application with people’s lifestyles, the symbolism and meanings illustrated by O’Connor through her short stories provide deeper ties with her personal life and her stories.
During Flannery O’Connor’s lifetime (1925-1962), the religious aspects that were heavily intertwined with people’s everyday lifestyles were seen to be mainly compromised. Instead of a meaningful and deep relationship with the Lord in prayer and scripture readings, religion was slowly deprecated and diminished into a mere object of admiration (Lechner). In trying to accommodate the pressures of popular culture and status, many institutions of education and businesses amongst others conformed to slowly diminishing religious aspects from their counterparts (Mirus). With the gradual uprising of secularism from the law, market, science, and then education, media, and entertainment, religion was beginning to be slowly pushed aside (Lechner). And the aspects of culture and life were shortened to a mere amount.
Despite the uprising and conformity to secular culture and lifestyle, Christianity grew from its minor sig...
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...ved. Eventually, contemporary reviews saw the light of her intricate stories and shed light on the deeper meaning of the spirituality in her stories.
O’Connor’s usage of religious themes and symbols in her shorts stories provide her readers with a broader approach into her writing. She skillfully weaves in her ideas, criticisms, and thoughts on religious aspects through her short stories to portray a more significant meaning. With her unique style in delivering her message and contexts of her writing, O’Connor flourishes in giving mysterious stories that grab readers’ attentions to want to understand the inhibited meaning behind her writing. In doing so, O’Connor is able to portray her ultimate spiritual beliefs and points of view to her readers and give academic and literature vice in well-written forms of short stories for her readers to delve and enjoy in.
Originally published in 1902, Connor writes with authority on this subject. Readers of this book receive a glimpse into the lives of historical events, morals, values, and teachings. These moral lessons are woven throughout the entire text and give readers an almost nostalgic view into the lives of the characters. Furthermore, one can see how religion is interwoven into the lives of each of the community members. Throughout this book, examples of times that the religious lesson is similar to the education one (such as respect one's elders) are plentiful. The end result of this book is that readers have a deep appreciation for both Connor's writing style and the daily events that shaped the lives of persons in
There are many widely recognized characteristics that are apart of Southern literature that are present in Flannery O’Connor’s novel Wise Blood. Among the most familiar characteristics of Southern literature is a writing style that is based upon imagery. Another common characteristic which can be drawn from Southern literature is the struggle to understand the difference between what is real human experience as opposed to what is believed to be real, as well as the human/God relationship. Flannery O’Connor’s use of consistent imagery reinforces one of the major themes of Wise Blood – that man seems to only scratch the surface of things, and not see deeper into them.
Spivey, Ted R. "Flannery O'Connor's View of God and Man." Flannery O'Connor. Ed. Robert E. Reiter. St. Louis: B. Herder, 1966. 111-18.
Flannery O’Connor believed in the power of religion to give new purpose to life. She saw the fall of the old world, felt the force and presence of God, and her allegorical fictions often portray characters who discover themselves transforming to the Catholic mind. Though 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 “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, causing a traumatic collapse exposing the emptiness of her philosophy. As Flannery O’Connor said, “In Good Fiction, certain of the details will tend to accumulate meaning from the action of the story itself, and when this happens they become symbolic in the way they work.” (487). The significance is not in the plot or the actual events, but rather the meaning is between the lines.
Leigh, Davis. "Suffering and the Sacred in Flannery O’Connor’s Short Stories." Renascence 65.5 (2013): 365-380. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
Flannery O’Connor’s Catholic faith shows heavily in her writing’s, but yet most of her characters are Protestant. Protestants fall under Western churches, and follow the principle of Reformation. Flannery wants her characters to suffer, to feel anguish and find redemption. While Flannery O’Connor has written many complex texts with different themes, her faith is always the fueling force behind her creativity. Contrary to popular belief, O’Connor’s notions have only widened her points of view in her writings. O’Connor uses faith in her work to show the readers spirituality and grace.
Flannery O’Connor teaches a lot of lessons in Good Country People that can be applied to anyone’s everyday life. O’Connor gives perfect examples and reasoning on why people should have faith and believe in some type of religion. She also teaches the lessons that people should have an open heart and see beyond themselves and their beliefs, instead of being so arrogant and thinking they know it all. Identity, symbolism, and reality was communicate in this story’s theme, which revolves around man’s arrogance in thinking that he knows it
Eggenschwiler, David. The Christian Humanism of Flannery O’Connor. Wayne State University Press : Detroit, Michigan, 1972.
In the Flannery O’Connor’s great book, “Wise blood”, Hazel motes, the main character of the literature, is a hero struggling against his prophetic vocation, yet turning out to be a Christian martyr at the end of his long and futile ordeals. The development of the literature centers around the protagonist’s struggle to run away from Jesus, who poses Jesus as “something awful,” and his final return to him. Hazel’s movement throughout the literature, therefore, may be seen as a journey: a modern man’s progress from rebellion against God, to penance, and to return to him through the painful recognition of his sinful and fallen nature. The shrill thesis of the literature is stressed by its circular journey pattern of escape from and return to God.
Flannery O’Connor’s Catholic faith is shown heavily in her writing’s, but yet most of her characters are Protestant. Protestants fall under Western churches, and follow the principle of Reformation. Flannery wants her characters to suffer, to feel anguish and find redemption. While Flannery O’Connor has written many complex texts with different themes, her faith is always the fueling force behind her creativity. Contrary to popular belief, O’Connor’s notions have only widened her points of view in her writings. O’Connor uses faith in her work to show the readers spirituality and grace.
Being a devout Catholic, O’Connor’s “faith consciously informed her fiction. The difficulty of her work, she explained…is that many of her readers do not understand the redemptive quality of ‘grace,’ and, she added, ‘don’t recognize it when they see it. All my stories are...
A Christian, when faced with the challenge of writing, finds himself in a dilemma: how is he to complete the task? Should he create an allegory? Should he try to teach a lesson reflecting God’s glory? Or should he follow secular trends and current desires in literature? To this, many Christians would say, “Certainly not!” Dorothy L. Sayers and Flannery O’Connor both aim to answer the first question of any Christian writer: How do I write a story with my beliefs?
McCown, Robert. Flannery O?Connor and the Reality of Sin in the Catholic World. Missionary Society of St. Paul, NY. 1959. Vol. 188. 285-291.
Last but not least, O’Connor confirms that even a short story is a multi-layer compound that on the surface may deter even the most enthusiastic reader, but when handled with more care, it conveys universal truths by means of straightforward or violent situations. She herself wished her message to appeal to the readers who, if careful enough, “(…)will come to see it as something more than an account of a family murdered on the way to Florida.”
Shannon, Lisa. "Religion and Irony in Flannery O'Connor's Writing." Yahoo Contributor Network. N.p., 13 July 2006. Web. 3 Apr. 2014. .