Flannery O’Connor: The Southern Catholic Essay -- Authors

To many critics, Flannery OConnor was avery devout catholic, of the (thirteenth century, OConnor described herself), suggests Mark Bosco a Jesuit priest, professor of Theology and English studies at Loyola University Chicago (qtd in Bosco 41). Along with being a native Georgian, OConnor experienced life, albeit short lived, during an era of racial conflict. Although, she considered herself from some other century, she was acutely aware of her twentieth century southern world, and furthermore she expressed it through her short stories. As Robert Drake a writer and Prof. at the University of Texas explains she wrote of what she knew to be at her accept doorstep (Drake, Apocalyptic Perception 32), meaning that her strong religious values, southern roots and the societal issues of her times influences her writing. The looks of OConnors life that are prevalently revealed as influences, are her strong religious values, southern roots and societal issues which are portrayed, in Good Cou ntry People and Everything That Rises Must Converge, through her characters. One aspect of OConnors life that is revealed as an influence, in writing the characters, in both short stories, is her strong religious values. As Drake points out, she was catholic in the oldest and truest star of the word And was faithful to her Christian principles, which was evident in the redemption of the protagonists (Drake 32). For example in Good Country People, the point of redemption comes for Joy when she realizes that instead of her seducing Manly, as she had planned, he has made her suffer by stealing her wood leg, mocking her intelligence, then leaving her helpless in a barn. Joy thought herself to be intellectually superior to Manly,... ...isiana State University Press.1980. xxvii. fall guyDrake, Robert. Apocalyptic Perception. Flannery OConnor A Memorial. Ed. J.J. Quinn, S.J. Scranton University of Scranton Press, 1996. 29, 32-33. PrintHyman, Stanley. Flannery OConnor. Seven American Wom en Writers of the Twentieth Century An Introduction. Ed. Maureen Howard. Minneapolis University of Minnesota Press, 1977. 323. PrintMeyers, Sr. Bertrande. Ways of Interpretation. Flannery OConnor A Memorial.Ed. J.J. Quinn, S.J. Scranton University of Scranton Press, 1996. 19. Print Paulson, Suzanne. Racial Conflict. Flannery OConnor A Study of the Short Story Fiction. North Dakota Minot State University. 1988. 69. PrintShackelford, D. Dean. Flannery OConnor. Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Second Revised Edition (2001) 1-7. Literary Reference Center. Web. 28 Apr. 2012.