The Grotesque and Divine

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how Flannery O'Connor's short stories "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and "Good Country People" both depict highly flawed protagonists, Grandmother and Hulga, who experience profound revelations about the nature of the divine and their own limitations. The paper shows how in both stories these revelations occur as a result of encounters with grotesque, strange people and almost despite the character's inherent natures.

From the Paper:

"Flannery O'Connor's short stories "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and "Good Country People" both depict highly flawed protagonists who live within the context of very limited social worlds. But they experience profound revelations about the nature of the divine and their own limitations at the end of their respective stories. These revelations occur, almost despite the character's inherent natures, as a result of encounters with grotesque, strange people. The grandmother of "A Good Man is Hard to Find" meets her demise at the hands of an outlaw known as the Misfit."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Katz, Claire. "Flannery O'Connor's Rage of Vision." American Literature. 46. 1. Mar.1974. pp. 54-67
• O'Connor, Flannery. "Good Country People." The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, and Writing. 8th Edition. Edited by Michael Meyer. Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 2008, pp. 456-469
• O'Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man is Hard to Find." The Bedford Introduction toLiterature: Reading, Thinking, and Writing. 8th Edition. Edited by Michael Meyer. Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 2008, pp. 445-455.
• Westling, Louise. "Flannery O'Connor's Mothers and Daughters." Twentieth Century Literature. 24. 4. Winter 1978, pp. 510-522.

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