“The world is so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexpectedly. We want to feel we are in control of our own existence. In some ways we are, in some ways we're not. We are ruled by the forces of chance and coincidence.” Exerpt said by American author Paul Auster. Flannery O’Connor’s short stories establish how the theme of control over powers one's thoughts and actions. Throughout O’Connor’s stories, characters often possess a moment of grace which the author defines as: “In [O’Connor’s] stories a reader will find that the Devil accomplishes a good deal of the groundwork that seems to be necessary before grace is achieved.” The moment of grace divulges the lessons that the characters learn at the resolution of the stories. In the short
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Joy/Hulga begins to define herself as someone greater to others when she is announced as having the highest education out of all the characters in the short story. Joy/Hulga’s mother states: “The girl had taken the Ph.D. in philosophy,” (__). This quotation is momentous being as the Ph.D. sets Joy/Hulga apart from everyone else in the short story due to the fact that she went through the time and effort to get the Ph.D. which sets her at a higher degree of intelligence than others. This leads Joy/Hulga to believe that she is taking advantage of Manley Pointer, the Bible salesman. When Joy/Hulga and Manley Pointer have their first kiss, Joy/Hulga believes that nothing has changed between them and that everything is “a matter of the mind’s control,” (__). Up to his point in the short story, Joy/Hulga has had control. But when Manley Pointer takes Joy/Hulga to the loft, Pointer takes control. Before things get heated, Joy/Hulga says that she is quite a bit older than Pointer. She does this to prove her maturity and higher status to him in hopes of having more control of what is going to happen. Joy/Hulga states: ““I am thirty years old,” she said. “But I must tell you something. There mustn’t be anything dishonest between us. … I have a number …show more content…
The story begins with Old Dudley’s comment that “the geranium is late today,” (__). Old Dudley is upset that he cannot control when the geranium is placed outside, but its presence is something that Old Dudley needs in his life. The significance of the quotation is that it represents the control that Old Dudley wishes he had on the geranium similar to the control that he wishes that he had on society. When Old Dudley came to New York, he didn’t like the environment considering that he couldn’t control it. He preferred the south. All of the people, cars, and noises upset him for he had no control over the actions. This is concluded by Old Dudley’s quotation: “Old Dudley would have liked to have explained New York to Rabie. If he could have showed it to Rabie, it wouldn’t have been so big–he wouldn’t have felt pressed down every time he went out in it,” (__). This quotation shows that Old Dudley is intimidated by New York because he cannot control it. As stated above, there are so many factors that he cannot control. If he had control, Old Dudley would be in charge of the society around him, but New York has the control over him. The moment of grace is a result from his ability to control being broken. Without the control, like he had in the South, he is unhappy. His control in society and in his own life is broken by being treated as an equal with his neighbor.
Joy/Hulga begins to define herself as someone greater to others when she is announced as having the highest education out of all the characters in the short story. Joy/Hulga’s mother states: “The girl had taken the Ph.D. in philosophy,” (__). This quotation is momentous being as the Ph.D. sets Joy/Hulga apart from everyone else in the short story due to the fact that she went through the time and effort to get the Ph.D. which sets her at a higher degree of intelligence than others. This leads Joy/Hulga to believe that she is taking advantage of Manley Pointer, the Bible salesman. When Joy/Hulga and Manley Pointer have their first kiss, Joy/Hulga believes that nothing has changed between them and that everything is “a matter of the mind’s control,” (__). Up to his point in the short story, Joy/Hulga has had control. But when Manley Pointer takes Joy/Hulga to the loft, Pointer takes control. Before things get heated, Joy/Hulga says that she is quite a bit older than Pointer. She does this to prove her maturity and higher status to him in hopes of having more control of what is going to happen. Joy/Hulga states: ““I am thirty years old,” she said. “But I must tell you something. There mustn’t be anything dishonest between us. … I have a number …show more content…
The story begins with Old Dudley’s comment that “the geranium is late today,” (__). Old Dudley is upset that he cannot control when the geranium is placed outside, but its presence is something that Old Dudley needs in his life. The significance of the quotation is that it represents the control that Old Dudley wishes he had on the geranium similar to the control that he wishes that he had on society. When Old Dudley came to New York, he didn’t like the environment considering that he couldn’t control it. He preferred the south. All of the people, cars, and noises upset him for he had no control over the actions. This is concluded by Old Dudley’s quotation: “Old Dudley would have liked to have explained New York to Rabie. If he could have showed it to Rabie, it wouldn’t have been so big–he wouldn’t have felt pressed down every time he went out in it,” (__). This quotation shows that Old Dudley is intimidated by New York because he cannot control it. As stated above, there are so many factors that he cannot control. If he had control, Old Dudley would be in charge of the society around him, but New York has the control over him. The moment of grace is a result from his ability to control being broken. Without the control, like he had in the South, he is unhappy. His control in society and in his own life is broken by being treated as an equal with his neighbor.