Irony in "The Lame Shall Enter First"

Paper Summary:

In the short story "The Lame Shall Enter First," author Flannery O'Connor describes a widower's attempts to mask his grief over his wife's death. This paper examines how O'Connor uses devastating irony-manifested through parallel descriptions of the characters and various interactions between them-to convey the idea that artificial philanthropy will accomplish nothing.

From the Paper:

"In addition to juxtaposing the characters of Norton and Sheppard, O'Connor further reveals Sheppard's flaws and inconsistencies through various interactions with Rufus. From his first meeting with the boy, it is obvious that Sheppard seems to take pleasure in analyzing Rufus's motives and behavior, failing to realize how it mirrors his own. For example, "Sheppard, of course, seizes upon the foot as the unquestionable source of Rufus's delinquency, interpreting his criminal behavior as simple 'compensation' for his physical defect" (Walters 103). What Sheppard does not immediately see, however, is that he is also trying to compensate for his own defect-his overly philanthropic gestures are an attempt at filling the hole in his heart left by his wife's death. "

More papers on Irony in "The Lame Shall Enter First":

• Analytical Essay # 33793 : "Irony in the Works of Flannery O'Connor"
• Analytical Essay # 109474 : "Stories by Flannery O'Connor"
• Analytical Essay # 2126 : "Chaucerian Irony in the "General Prologue"

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