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Flannery O'Connor's View of Southern Theology

] I can't make what all I done wrong to fit what all I got in Punishment" (27-28). The Misfit ended up killing six people. This is not what is usually considered a Christ-like figure but the antagonist taking on this role is not uncommon for O'Connor's stories. .
             In "Good Country People" the main character, Hulga is assumed to be the "bad guy" at first. She is rude and snobbish, but very intelligent. She is also an atheist with a wooden leg. A Bible salesman came to visit Hulga and her mother. He seemed very clean and polite. He told Hulga's mother that he was just a country boy. Hulga's mother stated " 'good country people are the salt of the earth' " (170). The salesman seemed to take an interest in Hulga. He invited her on a picnic and seduced her. The salesman then took off her wooden leg and would not give it back to her. "Her face was almost purple. 'You're a Christian! [.] You're just like them all- say one thing and do another' " (194). The salesman then shocked her by saying, " 'I hope you don't think that I believe in that crap! I may sell Bibles but [.] I wasn't born yesterday and I know where I'm going' " (194-195). The boy then proceeded to run off with Hulga's prosthetic leg. This was O'Connor's way of showing how evil existed in the world and how people are too trusting of those who come off as religious. O'Connor obviously felt the need to shock her readers in order to get her point across. "Definitions are not easy, and, frequently, what is being done in the utmost seriousness seems terribly nave [.] She [O'Connor] must, therefore, force the statement of it into a pattern of "grotesque" action [.] " (Hoffman 411).
             A common theme throughout A Good Man is Hard to Find is the inner struggle between man and God. Her characters were all the time questioning their faith and fighting their guilt. Doctor Ted R. Spivey, Regents' Professor English Emeritus at Georgia State University, wrote "With a mind steeped in religious thought, Miss O'Connor goes beyond philosophy to theology in order to deal with what she would call man's most important problem, his relationship with God [.


Essays Related to Flannery O'Connor's View of Southern Theology

1. Commentary on Flannery O'Connor's short stories

As a Christian writer, Flannery O'Connor's work is message-oriented. ... (Galloway) O"Connor's deep acknowledgment of her family's Southern legacy plays a strong role in the attitudes of her short stories. ... O'Connor's tales offer a sickening and repeatedly austere image of the clash between conventional Southern Christian ideals and the ever-changing social landscape of the twentieth century. ... (Baumgaertner, 24) Flannery remained devoted to Catholicism throughout her life, and this along with the consciousness of her own imminent mortality gives worthy...

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2. Flannery O

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3. Redemption in A Good Man is Hard to Find

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  • Word Count: 2384
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4. A Goodman Is Hard To Find

Flannery O'Connor uses Christianity as a fundamental thesis in her work, "A Good Man is Hard to Find."" The exploration for the meaning of the Christian faith in the story is based on O'Connor's view that contemporary society was drastically changing for the worst. ... O'Connor views the lifestyles of the "elite- Southern people to be a fazade. ... The grandmother displays the proper image of a southern Christian woman in the presence of other people. ... The significance of Christian theologies is the unification of the three Divine Spirits: The Father, Son, and Holy Spiri...

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5. A Good Man is Hard to Find

Flannery O'Connor was deeply concerned with the values and the direction of the youth at the time. ... "A Good Man is Hard to Find" is representative of Flannery O'Connor's concern for the priorities and values of the 1940s. An example of this, in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" involves the grandmother's strong, southern heritage. ... Then, the Misfit, who she "knows: is of quality, southern blood, shoots her and her family, despite her belief in southern hospitality. ... Most of the characters in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and, probable her other works, go through so...

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6. Flannery O'Connor and Southern Racism

Flannery O'Connor's characterization of racist characters in "The Geranium," "The Barber" and "Judgment Day," illustrate the existence of racism in the post World War II South. ... He is an interesting character, and from the first page we get the sense that he's quite arrogant, full of his own opinions, certain that his views are the right ones, and very racist towards colored folks. ... Flannery O'Connor very well could have been talking about the Civil Rights movement in the story "The Barber." ... A good writer does no less" (...

  • Word Count: 2519
  • Approx Pages: 10
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7. Bible As Literature

Allison Tietz Eng 245 July 8, 2002 Midterm #2 Question four of the midterm asks us to use an example from each of our readings and set aside all historical and theological questions and compare what it is that we see in the two passages, both similarities as well as what we gain from the reading. I believe that by setting aside everything that you have previously read about the Bible, the lessons, the history, the morality and theology, and look at its style and technique you can then evaluate its form and you can also see how similar it is to other works of literature. ... You can...

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8. Character's of Flannery O'Connor

In the story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor, Baileys mother views herself as a respectable and wise southern lady.However, to the reader, her actions reveal that she is in fact another person.We know this to be true because she primps excessively, lies, uses racist language, and mistakenly tells that she recognizes The Misfit. ... The author uses informal language, different points-of-view, foreshadowing, and irony to depict the satire of southern religious beliefs throughout the entire piece. To begin with, the author uses heavy informal language such as sou...

  • Word Count: 760
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9. The Paradox and Brilliance of Flannery O'Connor

According to literary researcher Patrick Galloway, one must be "initiated to her trademarks when reading Flannery O'Connor's novels or short stories." ... In Flannery O'Connor's characters, Laurence Enjolras analyzes the fictitious personalities O'Connor has created. ... Hopewell, show the symbolism used by Flannery O'Connor. ... Like the writings of Flannery O'Connor, the art made by Bosch is confusing, distorted, and disturbing. ... Di Renzo observes that this indirect and alternative way of making religious statements is quite similar in the literature o...

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