Symbolism In The Displaced Person By Flannery O Connor

During World War II, many Europeans were “displaced” and even in America, the land of the free, they were not treated fairly. They were often treated no better than the African-Americans, and in those time racism against them in the South was still vast. The stylistic techniques used by Flannery O’Connor in her short story, “The Displaced Person,” allows her to relay her purpose of writing to the audience. She uses symbolism, foreshadow, and irony to communicate her opinions about racism to the audience. Flannery O’Connor grew up in a small town in Georgia, and received her M.F.A. degree at the University of Iowa in 1947 (Epperson 563). Most of her fiction is a mix of comedy and tragedy based around “Southern life” (Epperson 563). She put …show more content…
The most prevalent symbol of the story is the peacock. The peacock symbolizes the Christian faith. The peacock is noticed by the good people, such as the priest and Astor, who were also not present at the murder.The priest often remarked on how the peacock resembled Christ, and the way he observed the bird revealed the way he views the Christian faith. “The priest stood transfixed, his jaw slack” (O’Connor 599) The way he looks at the peacock shows how enraptured he is with the Christian faith. Astor would often speak to the peacock (O’Connor 595). Neither of these men are racist, nor have they ever shown any animosity towards anyone else. Those who did not acknowledge the peacock or disliked it, are seen as the villains, such as Mrs. McIntyre. Mrs. McIntyre’s dislike for the peacocks mirrored the way she felt about the Christian faith. She stated, “I’ve let them die off,” symbolizing that her faith has died (O’Connor 587). Mrs. McIntyre is a racist, she is often seen saying something about the African-Americans or Mr. Guizac that exhibits how much she looks down on …show more content…
The first use of foreshadow is seen in a conversation between Mrs. McIntyre and Mrs. Shortley. “‘We’ll get this whole bottom cut within two days at the rate.’ ‘Maybe,’ Mrs. Shortley muttered, ‘if don’t no terrible accident occur’” (O’Connor 590) This conversation foreshadows the murder of Mr. Guizac. Towards the end of the story Mr. Shortley says, “‘Revenge is mine, saith the Lord,” right before he uses the tractor to murder Mr. Guizac (O’Connor 602). Mr. Shortley believes that Mr. Guizac is to blame for the death of his wife, because his work ethic and her dislike for the man were part of the termination of Mr. Shortley. The second us of foreshadow is seen in Mrs. Shortley’s prophecy. This prophecy foreshadows her death. She states, “‘Legs where arms should be, foot to face, ear in the palm of the hand. who will remain whole’” (O’Connor 592). While she was dying in the car she begins to grab anything she can almost as if she was “trying to fit the two extra limbs onto herself,” fulfilling both the prophecy and foreshadow (O’Connor 594). The way that O’Connor portrays Mrs. Shortley as hateful and prejudice, leads the reader to not feel sympathy for her. Almost as if O’Connor wants the reader to know that no good can come from