The Role Of Unusural Events In Southern Gothic Literature

Unusual or supernatural events are common elements in Southern Gothic literature. From the beginning of the story, the author utilizes a surreal undertone in a sequence of obscure events to highlight how a personal interest when pursued without regard for others can lead to disaster. The first of these events begins with a seemingly innocent decision by the grandmother to bring her cat along on the family vacation. “She didn’t intend for the cat to be left alone in the house for three days because he would miss her too much” (O’Connor 353) even though she knew “Her son, Bailey, didn’t like to arrive at a motel with a cat” (O’Connor 353). Next, the grandmother detours the family vacation by weaving an interesting story of an old house she wanted to see again, “ ‘There was a secret panel in this house,’ she said craftily, not telling the truth but wishing that she …show more content…
“ (O’Connor 358) As the family travels down an obscure country road to find the house, the grandmother has a moment of lucidness and realizes this is not the place she remembers. Her sudden reaction causes the cat to jump out of his hiding place and attach himself to the driver’s neck and the car has a rollover accident. The dreamlike tone of the story underscores the reality that in each unrelated event leading up to this moment, the grandmother made a decision based on her best interest. The cat was her companion so she took him with her and didn’t tell her son. The detour in Georgia was just a way to avoid prolong the journey to Florida as the grandmother wanted to go to Tennessee instead. Her selfish actions lead to the family being stranded on a remote country road only to be discovered by The Misfit and his gang, a band of