How O’Connor’s Titles Convey Her Themes
Flannery O’Connor is one of the most influential fiction writers America has ever known. Born and raised in Georgia, O’Connor was a passionate reader and artist who was extremely gifted yet shy. Because of her hard work and dedication, O’Connor won several awards, even after her death in 1964 from Lupus. “The Complete Stories” is a collection of short stories that won O’Connor the National Book Award. Flannery O’Connor skillfully constructs titles that go along with the themes of her short stories in “The Complete Stories”. Incorporating a title that conveys the theme gives the reader a hint as to what the story will be about. O’Connor uses the titles “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” “Revelation,” …show more content…
Mrs. Turpin, a very judgmental middle-aged woman, would occasionally imagine who Jesus would have made her if she could not be herself. “Please, Jesus, please,” Mrs. Turpin would say, “Just let me wait until there is another spot available” (O’Connor). She would be devastated if she had to be “white trash” or an African American, and thanked God continuously for making her a privileged white woman. Mary Grace, an unattractive teenage girl, was sitting in the doctor’s office with Mrs. Turpin. After hearing Mrs. Turpin judge everyone around her, Mary Grace threw her book at her and whispered, “go back to hell where you came from, you old warthog” (O’Connor). This deeply offended Mrs. Turpin. Mary Grace, as the name implies, is the character that brings Mrs. Turpin to her revelation, allowing her to achieve God’s grace. “A visionary light settled in her eyes,” O’Connor stated, conveying to the readers that Mrs. Turpin had reached her revelation (O’Connor). Mrs. Turpin realizes that no matter if a person is white trash, a lunatic, or African American, they are all the same in God’s eyes. This realization is Mrs. Turpin’s …show more content…
The title ends up being ironic due to the way the grandmother uses the phrase “a good man.” The first time the grandmother calls someone a “good man” was when Red Sammy asked why he would pay for the gas of two young boys. The grandmother replied with “Because you’re a good man” (O’Connor 417). The grandmother uses the phrase to describe a man who is generous and caring. Later in the story the phrase is used again when the grandmother is in a life-or-death situation. When confronted by The Misfit, who is allowing her family members to be taken away and shot in the woods one by one, the grandmother says, “you shouldn’t call yourself The Misfit because I know you’re a good man at heart” (O’Connor 422). She is calling The Misfit a “good man” because she is trying to get him to let her live. In this context, the grandmother is using the phrase as a way of manipulation to convince The Misfit that he should not kill her. After choosing to kill the grandmother, The Misfit says, “She would have been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life” (“O’Connor
Flannery O’Connor is one of the most influential fiction writers America has ever known. Born and raised in Georgia, O’Connor was a passionate reader and artist who was extremely gifted yet shy. Because of her hard work and dedication, O’Connor won several awards, even after her death in 1964 from Lupus. “The Complete Stories” is a collection of short stories that won O’Connor the National Book Award. Flannery O’Connor skillfully constructs titles that go along with the themes of her short stories in “The Complete Stories”. Incorporating a title that conveys the theme gives the reader a hint as to what the story will be about. O’Connor uses the titles “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” “Revelation,” …show more content…
Mrs. Turpin, a very judgmental middle-aged woman, would occasionally imagine who Jesus would have made her if she could not be herself. “Please, Jesus, please,” Mrs. Turpin would say, “Just let me wait until there is another spot available” (O’Connor). She would be devastated if she had to be “white trash” or an African American, and thanked God continuously for making her a privileged white woman. Mary Grace, an unattractive teenage girl, was sitting in the doctor’s office with Mrs. Turpin. After hearing Mrs. Turpin judge everyone around her, Mary Grace threw her book at her and whispered, “go back to hell where you came from, you old warthog” (O’Connor). This deeply offended Mrs. Turpin. Mary Grace, as the name implies, is the character that brings Mrs. Turpin to her revelation, allowing her to achieve God’s grace. “A visionary light settled in her eyes,” O’Connor stated, conveying to the readers that Mrs. Turpin had reached her revelation (O’Connor). Mrs. Turpin realizes that no matter if a person is white trash, a lunatic, or African American, they are all the same in God’s eyes. This realization is Mrs. Turpin’s …show more content…
The title ends up being ironic due to the way the grandmother uses the phrase “a good man.” The first time the grandmother calls someone a “good man” was when Red Sammy asked why he would pay for the gas of two young boys. The grandmother replied with “Because you’re a good man” (O’Connor 417). The grandmother uses the phrase to describe a man who is generous and caring. Later in the story the phrase is used again when the grandmother is in a life-or-death situation. When confronted by The Misfit, who is allowing her family members to be taken away and shot in the woods one by one, the grandmother says, “you shouldn’t call yourself The Misfit because I know you’re a good man at heart” (O’Connor 422). She is calling The Misfit a “good man” because she is trying to get him to let her live. In this context, the grandmother is using the phrase as a way of manipulation to convince The Misfit that he should not kill her. After choosing to kill the grandmother, The Misfit says, “She would have been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life” (“O’Connor