Camille Cavicchio
English
Dr. Love
4/21/15
Flannery O’Conner
Flannery O’Conner’s stories are right in imagery and symbolization. The moral of a Flannery O’Conner story is to successfully show, in the plainest way possible, the action of God’s grace. Flannery O’Conner’s most impacting story is The Artificial Nigger. Flannery O’Conner’s goal in the story is to have one character accept and identify the grace of God, which leads to a change in their actions and characteristics.
The story opens with moonlight flooding bedroom of Mr. Head and his grandson Nelson. The room appears to be the sleeping place of a very important person, like the bedroom of a CEO. Mr. Head believes that he is superior to everyone else, especially black people. Mr. Head …show more content…
Head is successful in intimidating Nelson on the train multiple times. Nelson fails to recognize three black people who walk through the car as "niggers." However, Nelson is able to turn the blame back on his grandfather by saying, "You said they were black. You never said they were tan. How do you expect me to know anything when you don 't tell me right?" Mr. Head lets this remark go and focuses on other things going on in the train. Eventually Mr. Head and Nelson get hungry and head down to the restaurant car. The second incident, in which Mr. Head is trying to intimidate Nelson, involves Mr. Head 's confrontation with a black waiter in the dining car. Mr. Head is attempting to show Nelson the kitchen when he is stopped by a black waiter saying, “Passengers are not allowed in the kitchen!" Nelson believes that the black waiter is purposely trying to make a fool of him, and feels that he can now understand why his grandfather disliked …show more content…
Head and Nelson get into the city and it is only a downhill slide. First they loss their lunch and then they end up wandering the city lost in a predominately black neighborhood. Mr. Head is too afraid/prideful to ask a black person for directions. Until they have been wandering around lost for too long and they see a black women sitting on a step. She points them towards the train tracks and Mr. Head and Nelson start to follow the tracks, but they go the wrong way. Nelson, exhausted by the heat and the long walk, collapses in a heap and falls asleep. Mr. Head believes that now would be a good time to teach Nelson a lesson and he conceals himself in an alley and waits for Nelson to wake up. Nelson wakes up frightened because he cannot see his grandfather. He starts to run madly down the street with his grandfather in hot pursuit, but Mr. Head is too slow to catch up to Nelson. Mr. Head finally catches up to Nelson just as the boy knocks down an elderly lady carrying groceries, and he also goes sprawling onto the pavement. Nelson jumps up, looks around, and finally sees his grandfather. He runs towards him and clings to his leg. Mr. Head senses what he thinks is a policeman behind him, and it is precisely at this moment that he commits his greatest sin against the boy. He says he has never seen this boy before in his life. The crowd falls back Shocked and “repulsed by a man who would deny his own image”. Mr. Head 's pride is shattered, and he experiences pangs of guilt.
English
Dr. Love
4/21/15
Flannery O’Conner
Flannery O’Conner’s stories are right in imagery and symbolization. The moral of a Flannery O’Conner story is to successfully show, in the plainest way possible, the action of God’s grace. Flannery O’Conner’s most impacting story is The Artificial Nigger. Flannery O’Conner’s goal in the story is to have one character accept and identify the grace of God, which leads to a change in their actions and characteristics.
The story opens with moonlight flooding bedroom of Mr. Head and his grandson Nelson. The room appears to be the sleeping place of a very important person, like the bedroom of a CEO. Mr. Head believes that he is superior to everyone else, especially black people. Mr. Head …show more content…
Head is successful in intimidating Nelson on the train multiple times. Nelson fails to recognize three black people who walk through the car as "niggers." However, Nelson is able to turn the blame back on his grandfather by saying, "You said they were black. You never said they were tan. How do you expect me to know anything when you don 't tell me right?" Mr. Head lets this remark go and focuses on other things going on in the train. Eventually Mr. Head and Nelson get hungry and head down to the restaurant car. The second incident, in which Mr. Head is trying to intimidate Nelson, involves Mr. Head 's confrontation with a black waiter in the dining car. Mr. Head is attempting to show Nelson the kitchen when he is stopped by a black waiter saying, “Passengers are not allowed in the kitchen!" Nelson believes that the black waiter is purposely trying to make a fool of him, and feels that he can now understand why his grandfather disliked …show more content…
Head and Nelson get into the city and it is only a downhill slide. First they loss their lunch and then they end up wandering the city lost in a predominately black neighborhood. Mr. Head is too afraid/prideful to ask a black person for directions. Until they have been wandering around lost for too long and they see a black women sitting on a step. She points them towards the train tracks and Mr. Head and Nelson start to follow the tracks, but they go the wrong way. Nelson, exhausted by the heat and the long walk, collapses in a heap and falls asleep. Mr. Head believes that now would be a good time to teach Nelson a lesson and he conceals himself in an alley and waits for Nelson to wake up. Nelson wakes up frightened because he cannot see his grandfather. He starts to run madly down the street with his grandfather in hot pursuit, but Mr. Head is too slow to catch up to Nelson. Mr. Head finally catches up to Nelson just as the boy knocks down an elderly lady carrying groceries, and he also goes sprawling onto the pavement. Nelson jumps up, looks around, and finally sees his grandfather. He runs towards him and clings to his leg. Mr. Head senses what he thinks is a policeman behind him, and it is precisely at this moment that he commits his greatest sin against the boy. He says he has never seen this boy before in his life. The crowd falls back Shocked and “repulsed by a man who would deny his own image”. Mr. Head 's pride is shattered, and he experiences pangs of guilt.