Much of Contemporary Literature finds itself between ‘something’ and ‘nothing.’ The ‘something’ which gives purpose or meaning, but the ‘nothing’ negates the ‘something’ and then draws these characters back into the nothingness of modernity. Both “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” written by Flannery O’Connor and “The Girl Who Was Plugged In” by James Tiptree Jr. focus on on the “too” much, or a cataclysmic event that in turn draw the reader and characters back to the nothingness. Essentially, these texts stress that horrific events are going to occur without any purpose or reasoning to explain the “why” of it. In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” the family finds themselves faced with a life alerting moment when they meet The Misfit, however, this
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In fact, God is not referenced in the story until the appearance of the Misfit. The Misfit’s accomplice, Hiram, is the first reference of religion as his name is a Biblical Hebrew reference to Hiram I of Tyre. The first indication of any religious undertones comes in the form of character that is a criminal, which blurs the lines between what constitutes as a “good” person and a “bad person.” However, when the grandmother is faced with her death, she suddenly feels religious or a sense of God. She believes that calling upon God that it will save her from her impending death, she says, “if you would pray, Jesus would help you.” (150). Very clearly, she is hoping that Jesus will help her instead, although, it seems that the Misfit has speculated about Jesus more than the grandmother has. The grandmother continually attempts to save herself however, her continuous pleading to god and the Misfit make her prays to god almost meaningless and the grandmother’s prayers becoming meaningless through repetition. In the grandmother’s case, imposing meaning upon God or religion makes it insignificant. Her prayers to save her life do not come off as religious or seem to come from a genuine belief in a …show more content…
Tiptree’s piece focuses on the the idea of “too much” through means of the media and the conventions found within modernity. P. Burke is characterized as an unsightly girl with “a tall monument to pituitary dystrophy.” (Tiptree 2). Obviously plagued by others perception of her, she attempts to commit suicide and subsequently fails. P. Burke is swindled by an errand-boy telling her she will be able to meet stars if she comes with him. She finds out that she will be in control of a “remote” that presents itself as a conventionally perfect fifteen-year-old girl, Delphi, who is a placental decanter, or a modified embryo. GTX, the “big” corporation, place the remotes throughout the world as they are “human ads,” who are seen using differing products by the masses, therefore, the masses will want to use these products as well. P. Burke as Delphi becomes an instant celebrity on a soap opera and subsequently Delphi/P. Burke meet Paul, who falls in love with Delphi but does not fall in love with P. Burke. The nothingness throughout Tiptree’s piece lies within Paul’s shallowness when he realizes Delphi is “being controlled.” Paul’s inability to conceptualize love grows from the fact that Paul is deeply obsessed with himself. He is only able to view women as objects and only capable of viewing beauty in the conventional aspect of it. P. Burke undoubtedly has very
In fact, God is not referenced in the story until the appearance of the Misfit. The Misfit’s accomplice, Hiram, is the first reference of religion as his name is a Biblical Hebrew reference to Hiram I of Tyre. The first indication of any religious undertones comes in the form of character that is a criminal, which blurs the lines between what constitutes as a “good” person and a “bad person.” However, when the grandmother is faced with her death, she suddenly feels religious or a sense of God. She believes that calling upon God that it will save her from her impending death, she says, “if you would pray, Jesus would help you.” (150). Very clearly, she is hoping that Jesus will help her instead, although, it seems that the Misfit has speculated about Jesus more than the grandmother has. The grandmother continually attempts to save herself however, her continuous pleading to god and the Misfit make her prays to god almost meaningless and the grandmother’s prayers becoming meaningless through repetition. In the grandmother’s case, imposing meaning upon God or religion makes it insignificant. Her prayers to save her life do not come off as religious or seem to come from a genuine belief in a …show more content…
Tiptree’s piece focuses on the the idea of “too much” through means of the media and the conventions found within modernity. P. Burke is characterized as an unsightly girl with “a tall monument to pituitary dystrophy.” (Tiptree 2). Obviously plagued by others perception of her, she attempts to commit suicide and subsequently fails. P. Burke is swindled by an errand-boy telling her she will be able to meet stars if she comes with him. She finds out that she will be in control of a “remote” that presents itself as a conventionally perfect fifteen-year-old girl, Delphi, who is a placental decanter, or a modified embryo. GTX, the “big” corporation, place the remotes throughout the world as they are “human ads,” who are seen using differing products by the masses, therefore, the masses will want to use these products as well. P. Burke as Delphi becomes an instant celebrity on a soap opera and subsequently Delphi/P. Burke meet Paul, who falls in love with Delphi but does not fall in love with P. Burke. The nothingness throughout Tiptree’s piece lies within Paul’s shallowness when he realizes Delphi is “being controlled.” Paul’s inability to conceptualize love grows from the fact that Paul is deeply obsessed with himself. He is only able to view women as objects and only capable of viewing beauty in the conventional aspect of it. P. Burke undoubtedly has very