The majority of Flannery O’Connor’s work can be interpreted and comprehended in numerous ways. While researching I noticed a continuous pattern in what the readers found most interesting along with questions that boggled their minds. One of the main elements in all of Flannery O’Connor’s works was her references to religion. Not just any religion though, mainly Catholicism. Having attended a catholic school for the majority of my life I took interest in her reasoning behind this. L.Lamar Nisly describes her interest in his book Wingless Chickens, Bayou Catholics, and Pilgrim Wayfarers and gives some insight on why this was such an impact to her. Flannery O’Connor grew up in Milledgeville, Georgia, where Catholicism was tolerated, but not the most popular religion. Although no one gave her a hard time, she felt like an outsider all her life in her community of 300 people (Nisly 29). She had trouble making connections there and constantly felt as if she were an alien compared to the others. As she grew older she struggled to gain understanding through people she met, but literature always remained her safety net. Due to the solitude she found because of the religious gap and also because of her severe case of disseminated lupus erythematosus, she was able to concentrate all her energy and fascination into her writing. She became observant of the actions of the protestants around her, which gave her the sense of the “do-it-yourself religion” that is “full of unconscious pride” (Nisly 41). All these observations and life experiences also taught O’Connor a useful lesson in her work, how to appeal to her audience.
Flannery O’Connor understood that because of her religious practices and the day and age she was writing to would provide her difficulty in getting readers. This just pushed her harder to get her work out there in a way that would not hinder her approaches. These approaches consist of abrupt, shocking endings, grotesque imagery, and the goal to leave the reader speechless (Nisly 49). She tackles this by giving up on writing to a specific audience, but through another interesting process. She sits down to write, a monstrous reader looms up who sits down beside her and continually mutters, “I don’t get it, I don’t see it, I don’t want it,” She ignores all these complaints and won’t let it gain control, but she feels she must make the reader see even if it means making him see the extremes (Nisly 50). The extremes to her were the grotesque ways in which she places her characters accordingly. These grotesque actions are justified in that they are meant for the reader to create a sacred space for the reader to actually consider the religion in the story and the reality in which it implies (Nisly 51). I understood that the grotesque images that O’Connor exemplifies are necessary to bring the reader to a new level, but I wasn’t sure if the brought me to connect with the sacredness of the moment. The characters that endure the violence also left me puzzled as to why each one seems tortured in some way. The article “Flannery O’Connor and the Art of Holy” by Arthur F. Kinney addresses this issue and a resolution would be that he felt O’Connor thought that these characters were like saints of the devil stripped of everything by him, as real saints are stripped by God (May 123). Is this the real reason why she put these characters through so much pain? The truth is, we don’t know.
Flannery O’Connor was a very complex author and insight behind her works creates a better understanding of each aspect of her works. Even though these are just a few criticisms of her work, which help readers understand her decisions, there is still much more to them. Does she use certain characters for her works? Would she use the same ideas if her stories were located in more drastic settings? Now that we know her approach to the audience, does it make the reader comprehend the story differently? Questions can continually pop up when contemplating her dynamic work and no matter how much you research the answers will never be sufficient.
Work Cited
May, Charles E. "Flannery O'Connor and the Art of Holy." Critical Insights. Pasadena, CA: Salem, 2012. 113-28. Print.
You bring up really good and interesting points. Authors make the decisions they do when writing for various different reasons. I think that the way I comprehended the story changed a little after reading your article. I think she used such violence to get her point across more and to suprise readers.
ReplyDeleteReligion plays a big part in one's life because it is what drives them to keep living. Whether it is to go to heaven and have a better life after death, or if it is to be reborn after death into a better life, religion plays a big role. O'Connor does a good job of not making religion an overwhelming part of her story but it does play a big role in what she does which formolates the way she writes. The way she gives shocking grotest endings was a great way for her to get out her beliefs in the time period she was writing in. It is very interesting that you say she does not write for a specific audience also.
ReplyDeleteWith her being so religous I am thankful that her stories did not push religon on the reader. Nothing is worse than a person trying to imprint an idea on you that you do not understand or do not believe in. With that I do like how she puts in her beliefs into her stories. Furthermore, I really like her violence and grotesque writing she has in her stories. It is a change of pace and also gets some readers more involved and see the meaing of the story more.
ReplyDeleteReligion seems to play a large, but secret role in O'Connor's writing. I agree with Jake that her stories are more enjoyable because she isn't trying to influence anyone into her religious beliefs. O'Connor was one of my favorite authors this semester because she seems to focus on issues still at hand today, including racism. Her style reflects not only her views according to religion but also illustrates a more realistic view of society and its flaws. In a more drastic setting I believe she would continue to use the same idea because it directly correlates with her beliefs and writing gives her a certain outlet.
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