Flannery O'Connor's Misfit and the Mystery of Evil - Essay Example

Literary Analysis Avia Brown Ashford February 7, ENG 125 Introduction to Literature Angela di Gualco Introduction Normally people will be different with each one exhibiting their individuality. Although, individuals could share certain characteristics with others, most of the time, they will be distinct with not only different physical attributes but also unique thought processes. So, when these individuals interact with others, it can sometimes lead to conflicts in certain situations. That is, although these types of interactions do not always lead to conflicts, there are possibilities, especially when there are interactions between a gullible woman and a scheming man. As both the woman and the man interact with each other based on their own individualistic mindset and motivations, chances of conflicts increases. This aspect of individualism-based conflict is visible in the short stories “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates. In “Good Country People”, the character of Joy or Hulga trusts and interacts with a shady bible salesman named Manley Painter, but because of their different individualistic motivations, their short-lived interactions ends heartbreakingly for Joy. On the same lines, in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, female protagonist Connie’s interactions with a dubious man named Arnold Friend takes a dangerous turn because of their different individualistic motivations. So, both these short stories will be compared and contrasted focusing on the above-discussed individualism-based conflicts using the literary techniques of symbolism, tone, and irony. Symbolism The differing personalities and the resultant conflict between the characters or individuals in both the stories can be understood by focusing on the names of the characters. Character names have clear symbolic connotations. That is, both the authors have named their characters to symbolically highlight their personality, individualism, and motivations, and how it leads to conflicts. In “Good Country People”, author O’Connor has named the female protagonist first as Joy, but makes her legally change the name to Hulga. Although, her mother Mrs. Hopewell named her as Joy with the wish that she would live a joyful life, her accident and the loss of her leg forces Joy to change her name to Hulga. That is, she felt that she has become an unattractive or even an ugly individual and for that reason has chosen an ugly sounding name. “…she had hit upon the ugliest name in any language” (O’Connor, 2009). This form of self-pity is imbibed in her personality and so it is used to symbolically denote her individualistic personality. As far as the name of Manley Pointer is concerned, Manley or manly denotes the negative depths to which “mankind” could descend to fulfill their dubious wishes, even to the detriment of innocent individuals. As Manley removes physically-challenged Hulga’s wooden leg and abandons in a barn, it reflects the extreme lengths this man or Manley could go. So, although, Hulga interacts with Manley trusting him and loving him, Manley’s deceiving mindset leads to conflict between these two individuals. On the same lines, in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, the character of Connie is seems to be named so because she is the one who is conned by an individual named Arnold Friend. Although, like a typical teenager, she believes that she is in control of most situations, she is conned and pressurized by Friend. As far as the name, Arnold Friend is concerned; Oates has used this name to imply that although he may appear to be a friend, actually he is not. This aspect is sensed by Connie but she did not do anything about it. “She looked at the name, Arnold Friend. She looked at it for a while as if the words meant something to her that she did not yet know” (Oates, 1994, pg.36). He befriends Connie with ulterior motives that are revealed when he takes advantage of her and corners her. He does something a friend should not do, and passes as a devilish person who besides taking away a young girl’s innocence, also forces her to abandon her parents. Although Connie wanted to have an innocent romantic fling with Friend, his motivation to threaten and exploit her makes their interaction dangerous and conflicting. So, it is obvious that in both the stories the individuals or characters’ differing individualism and personality is symbolically reflected in their names, and that differing individualism leads to conflict. Tone The tone exhibited or maintained in both the short stories by the respective authors not only reflects the personality and individualism of the characters, but also how their interactions turn into a conflicting one. In the case of “Good Country People”, the tone that is predominant is satirical with traces of tragedy towards the end. The satirical tone is visible even in the title of the short story. That is, it is assumed that people from the country side or rural areas, particularly ones with religious affiliations, are always good, who do not indulge in dubious activities. However, in line with this sardonic tone, Manley Painter despite being portrayed as a bible selling salesman who appears to be a good individual, is actually an immoral and deceiving individual who exploits and abandons Hulga. So, Manley is portrayed as a bible man on one hand and a con artist on the other. This implies that people from certain background are stereotypically viewed as good without checking their antecedents and activities. Then, when it comes to Hulga, although she is a PhD holder, she was easily hoodwinked and entrapped by a con artist. This clearly shows that the perception that well-educated are always smart and cannot be deceived may not hold true in all situations. This satirical tone takes a slightly tragic tone when the trusting Hulga is abandoned by Manley in the barn without any support. So, the satirical plus tragic tone is in line with the differing individualism of both the characters, with each character’s negative attribute being satirically reflected and how that attribute leads to conflicts between the two. As far as “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” is concerned, in contrast to the above story, the tone is mainly innocent and sympathetic with tragic tone being visible towards the end. As the story is told from Connie’s viewpoint, the tone is wholly sympathetic towards her and generally explores her feeling and thoughts. Being the protagonist, the writer in a sense maintains her liking affection for Connie, even when criticizing the superficial nature of Connie’s romantic notions. The tone of Connie’s vivid and sensual daydreaming is in contrast to the dismissive tone that her mother takes towards those fantasies. Then, in the final parts, the tone takes a serious turn with the threat of escalation of violence when Connie encounters Arnold. So, it is obvious that the differing tone reflects the characters’ different individualism and mindset, which in a way ends in a conflicting situation. Irony Certain ironical aspects in both the stories also bring into focus the individualism based conflict between the characters. As above-mentioned, although Mrs. Hopewell named her daughter as Joy, it turned out be ironical because she is not at all joyful. “Hulga Hopewell in "Good Country People," whose chosen ugly name "Hulga" serves as her defense against admitting her ordinary human frailty and need, as well as being a badge of her pride” (Desmond, 2004, pg. 134). On similar lines, Manley masqueraded as a bible seller but at the end of it, he turns about to be a deceiving individual. In addition, he is initially shown as a good country folk only to be revealed as a bogus individual who even hides whiskey, condoms, and other items in his supposed bible. Furthermore, it becomes clear that he does not even believe in anything, even in the God. “I been believing in nothing ever since I was born” (O’Connor, 2009). As discussed earlier, even the title “Good Country People” is also ironic, because the people are full of deceit and are willing to trample on each other’s rights and state of being for their own ends, which in a way result in conflicts. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” also, ironical aspects are visible in relation to the two key characters of Connie and Arnold Friend. In the case of Connie, it is ironic that she herself invites Friend without knowing that she is going to become a victim. That is, when Friend comes calling, she is at the home day dreaming about boys and having relationship with them. However, when she finds out Friend’s intimidating tactics, she ironically understands that he is not the one whom she is daydreaming. “Oatess teenage protagonist, Connie, discovers that her dream love-god also wears the face of lust, evil, and death” (Wegs, 1975, pg. 66). So, in both the works, it is evident that certain ironical aspects brings out the dubious personality or motivations of the male characters thereby leading to conflicts Conclusion Both the short stories use the element of individual versus individual in mostly similar manner, with certain exceptions. The most evident expression of individualism and the resultant conflicts is with the way both the writers symbolically name their characters. Then, when it comes to the tone of the works, there are some differences with “Good Country People” exhibiting a satirical and tragic tone while “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” reflecting a sympathetic, innocent, and tragic tone. As far as irony is concerned, both the works are replete with number of ironical aspects, which showcases the mindset and individualism of the key characters. So, it is obvious that both the works had characters who exhibited individualism with dubious motivations, leading to conflicts. References Desmond, J. (2004). Flannery OConnors misfit and the mystery of evil. Renascence, 56 (2): 129-137. Oates, J. C. (1994). Where are you going, where have you been? Rutgers University Press OConnor, F. (2009). Flannery OConnor Complete Stories. Z. El Bey Wegs, J. M. (1975). “Dont you know who I am?: The grotesque in Oatess where are you going, where have you been?” The Journal of Narrative Technique, 5 (1): 66-72 Read More