“A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’ Connor
“A Good Man is Hard to Find” was published in 1955. In the 1950s there were many developments like the Civil Rights Movement, The Korean War and the Cold War. It was the time of Capitalism, Consumerism and mass media. Harry S. Truman was America
Opinions
There are several opinions about the story since it was first published. There are people who think that the grandmother in the story was acting very selfishly. Others think that, in the end of the story she was acting like a good Christian.
Critic about American culture
I think that the author criticizes the way people use religion and moral codes. Being religious is not the same as being a good person. People who believe in god and live by their moral codes can still be very selfish. The author praises the presence of Christianity in the American culture.
Elements of fiction
The author uses symbols and signs in her story to give the story more depth. Take the grandmothers’ hat for instance. She wears the hat so that she can be identified as a lady when she would have a car accident. Being seen as a lady is very important for her. She does not even think about what would happen to her family when they would have a car accident. When the hat finally drops of her head during the real accident she finds out that she is not a superior person. This is very symbolic.
Point of view,
The story represents the viewpoint of white, middleclass, religious people in the southern part of theUnited States
The story represents the viewpoint of white, middleclass, religious people in the southern part of the
themes
One theme could be salvation by faith. Christ will forgive you whatever you have done as long as you have faith in him. Even if you are a murderer your sins will be forgiven because every human being is born as a sinner. Another team could be change in moral codes. The children are not well-behaved and not disciplined by their parents. The grandmother thinks she behaves well but ignores her own shortcomings. Things are not the way they used to be.
Relation to other stories
Most of the stories within the Southern Gothic theme that I have read are taking place in the American South and are sort of macabre. The stories built up to a murder or accident. When I compare “The Lottery” to “A Good Man is Hard to Find” I notice a difference in atmosphere. In “The Lottery” you know that something bad is going to happen but you do not know what exactly. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” you immediately know that the family is going to be murdered. At least, I knew it from the moment the Grandmother showed her son an article about The Misfit.
Relevance I think that the story is still relevant in today’s culture because the people in the southern part of
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
Aspect of American Culture
It is a common thing for American communities to have their own annual traditions. Often people do not know where they came from. The same thing happens in ‘The lottery’. The people do not know where the lottery came from, even the old man is only guessing it has something to do with the abundance of corn.
Historical situation
The story was first published in 1948. You cannot help to think about a connection between world war two and this story since the story was published only a few years after the war and both are about mass violence. It was also a time that men were the ‘head’ of the family. This is something that was well portrayed in ‘The lottery’. Men were the first to draw and if the man of the house was unable to come and draw for his family the son who was old enough draw in his place.
Opinions
A lot of people cancelled their subscription from the new Yorker because of this story. Although it has been called ‘one of the most famous short stories in the history of American literature’ people were not pleased with this story at first. A lot of people asked the author why she wrote it, what her motive was. Other people demanded the name of the village where people were stoning each other. Later when people understood her way of writing it became more and more appreciated.
Critic about American culture
The undertone from ‘The lottery’ is the cruelness behind what looks like a civilized community.
The thing she is criticizing is the participation and the callousness. Everyone in the village is participating, which looks like an old fashioned version of social pressure and they are teaching their kids the same thing. This is very clear in the part where people give the kids stones and it becomes even more cruel when they give the young Dave Hutchinson some pebbles to throw at his mother. The kids are not aware of this evil nature and think it is something normal. The kids are not even trying to hide their excitement to murder a person where the parents and older people hide their feelings by talking about ordinary things
Goals
One of the goals, or even it’s main goal is to shock to people. Shirley Jackson does this very well by maintaining the same tone throughout the whole story. There is no sign of pity, remorse or happiness for that matter. The story is being told in a numb way. There are a few signs that it might not be the cheerful lottery you’ve expected. There is a black box that still contains materials of the old black box and if you read between the lines there is some sort of fear that the villagers have for that box. In the present day a black box often means trouble. If you look at an airplane crash the first thing they look for is the black box. It is easy to associate the box from ‘The lottery’ with bad events. The names of the people also give away the slightest hind of a deadly event. There are names such as ‘graves’ and ‘Delacroix’ which means of the cross.
One of the goals, or even it’s main goal is to shock to people. Shirley Jackson does this very well by maintaining the same tone throughout the whole story. There is no sign of pity, remorse or happiness for that matter. The story is being told in a numb way. There are a few signs that it might not be the cheerful lottery you’ve expected. There is a black box that still contains materials of the old black box and if you read between the lines there is some sort of fear that the villagers have for that box. In the present day a black box often means trouble. If you look at an airplane crash the first thing they look for is the black box. It is easy to associate the box from ‘The lottery’ with bad events. The names of the people also give away the slightest hind of a deadly event. There are names such as ‘graves’ and ‘Delacroix’ which means of the cross.
Point of view
A very strong element in this story is the group activity, everyone participates the stoning. This is also important for the horrific side of the story. Villagers are chatting with each other and minutes after that, they stone one of them showing no remorse or pity. It has also been mentioned that this village represents a lot of American communities with their own traditions. It almost seems like the writer is looking down on the people for holding on to a tradition which they do not even know where it came from. It also seems as if the writer wanted to tell us that in every man or woman a certain cruelness lurks but that it may appear differently from the outside.
Central themes
The central themes are group and social pressure, some of the villagers think certain things need to change. They even talk about villages where lotteries have been abolished. The themes life and dead are also main themes. There is this sudden aspect of death in this story. Although it has not been mentioned I believe religion and scapegoats are also central themes. In ‘The lottery’ there is the obvious reference to old religion methods to kill people. There are three world religions in which they used to stone people which are Christianity, the Islam and Judaism . the scapegoat is even more obvious because every year one person ‘wins’ the lottery and everyone gets to throw a stone at that one person.
Relation to other stories
The calm and deadpan way of writing from Shirley Jackson reminds a lot of Flannery O’conner. It’s a very dry way of writing and sometimes can be found quit humerous like in ‘A good man is hard to find’ or ‘what must go up, must converge’. The endings are often suprising and written with a twist of irony.
Relevance
This story will be a story for every time. I believe a lot of people would react different if they had some sort of permission to kill someone. I think social pressure is also something that makes a lot of people think twice, because if everyone does this and you have been raised the same way are you really going to go against that. Another thing that is still relevant and always will be is that you cannot see on the outside what is going on in someone’s mind. It may appear calm and peaceful but there is always a part of that person underneath that.
‘Cask Of Amontillado’by Edgar Ellen Poe
The story is told by the narrator Montresor, which is also the main character. He wants revenge on his acquaintance Fortunato, because he has harmed and insulted him in a way that he can´t forgive him. During the night of Carnaval he meets a drunk Fortunato and tells him that he just purchased a cask of the wine Amontillado and wants him to give his professional opinion about it. Fortunato is very much interested, but Motresor tells him he is on his way to another expert called Luchesi. This is apparently an enemy of Fortunato and he is not pleased, so he insist on going with Montresor’s to the vaults where the cask of Amontillado is. When they arrive, they go down in the vaults and Montresor gives Fortunato wine to defend him from the chemical smell of nitre. When they finally arrive at the cask, he chains the even more intoxicated Fortunato into a gap in a wall and builds another wall before him and leaves.
Genre
It is a very dark and macabre story about revenge, that takes place in what is assumed the 18th century. This is actually where the Gothic genre started and revenge is one of the main subject. This is perfectly illustrated in this story. By the use of language and the description of the characters clothing, you can notice that it took place a very long time ago. For example the dresses they wear and the dark caves where they walk with torches in their hand. A big part of the story takes place in these dark vaults which contributes to the dark tone. The murder also takes place in these vaults and you can almost feel the atmosphere as they walk deeper and deeper into it.
It is a very dark and macabre story about revenge, that takes place in what is assumed the 18th century. This is actually where the Gothic genre started and revenge is one of the main subject. This is perfectly illustrated in this story. By the use of language and the description of the characters clothing, you can notice that it took place a very long time ago. For example the dresses they wear and the dark caves where they walk with torches in their hand. A big part of the story takes place in these dark vaults which contributes to the dark tone. The murder also takes place in these vaults and you can almost feel the atmosphere as they walk deeper and deeper into it.
Rising action
The reader knows from the beginning that the story will end with murder, but what the real reason is, remains a mystery. The story has a big suspense, because you don´t know when, how and where he´s getting murdered. This sensation keeps the attention of the reader and because the story is told from the perspective of the murderer self, you are dragged along with his thoughts.
The reader knows from the beginning that the story will end with murder, but what the real reason is, remains a mystery. The story has a big suspense, because you don´t know when, how and where he´s getting murdered. This sensation keeps the attention of the reader and because the story is told from the perspective of the murderer self, you are dragged along with his thoughts.
Writer
Edgar Allan Poe was a pioneer in Gothic literature. He has been known from his dark tales with plots that include murder or torture, physical and mental. The reason that death has a great part in his stories lies in his personal life. As a baby, Edgar Allan Poe lost his father and few years later also his mother. At young age he married his niece, but after five years she died too. This led to his manic-depression and eventually to his death at the age of forty. This chain of deaths in the life of Edgar Allen Poe makes the stories even more sinister than they already are. For many writers, like Flannery O'Connor, Edgar Allan Poe was a big influence and I think that he was one of the founders of Southern Gothic.
Edgar Allan Poe was a pioneer in Gothic literature. He has been known from his dark tales with plots that include murder or torture, physical and mental. The reason that death has a great part in his stories lies in his personal life. As a baby, Edgar Allan Poe lost his father and few years later also his mother. At young age he married his niece, but after five years she died too. This led to his manic-depression and eventually to his death at the age of forty. This chain of deaths in the life of Edgar Allen Poe makes the stories even more sinister than they already are. For many writers, like Flannery O'Connor, Edgar Allan Poe was a big influence and I think that he was one of the founders of Southern Gothic.
“A Rose for Emily” By William Faulkner”
William Faulkner had written the macabre ‘A rose for Emily’. It was published on April30 in 1930.
The story takes place in a non-existent city, in a fictional county in the state of Missisippi.
After the civil war, the south became a platform for stories such as ‘A rose for Emily’. It was an excellent scene and with a little bit of horror added, a new genre was born: ‘Southern Gothic’.
Southern Gothic is known for its tales of a posh society and its own unique history. In Emily’s town, the industry and tradition tried to coexist. You can read that around het house, there are cotton gins and gas stations. The way the people react on Emily and how they are portrayed can be seen as a symbol of tradition. Also, the way Emily’s house is portrayed can be seen as tradition. It looks ancient and contains old symbols of the South. The house looks a little bit peculiar in her changing town.
“This imagery of the house is not unlike Faulkner's image of the South itself. This story was written immediately after the twenties; a time with social and technological advancement. The South was still slow to adapt and change which the story implies makes it seem dark and somewhat out of place with the rest of the country.” – Andrew Dutton, June 2008, Helium.com
Response to the story
The response to the stories were mostly negative, especially The Lottery from Shirley Jackson was not appreciated.
William Faulkner criticizes the South and the way things were slowly changing in the South. I do not believe that William Faulkner was praising anything about the American culture. He was just mocking the South and its changes but also its traditions.
Elements of fiction
The elements of fiction he uses is mostly the way he describes things, and how the story is written out of order. He uses words that are ambiguous and portraying a macabre atmosphere. He gives the reader just enough information to be curious about the next chapter, like the description of ‘the smell’ at the beginning of the story, which continued throughout the rest of the story. Also a comment of a town person saying “We did not say she was crazy then ” Suggestion that they would say that now.
The human fear of change
Many people are afraid for change. This story portrayed the human fear for change perfectly. A lot of people in the South could not adapt to the changes that were going on. Emily wants to hold on to the past and this is shown by her not accepting the death of her father, she does not want to pay taxes and she calls out to a Colonel Sartoris who died ten years ago, and she cannot deal with Homer Barron leaving her, so she kills him.
The central themes of the story are past and present, changes and isolation.
Relation to Southern Gothic
The stories obviously relate to each other as being Southern Gothic stories. The stories also happen in old towns with their own traditions. They have murder and despair in them. they use imagery and foreshadowing to prepare the reader for the ending. A comparison to The Lottery is that both The Lottery and A Rose for Emily are written in the third person. The Lottery and A Good Man is Hard to Find both end unexpectedly while A Rose for Emily was clear from the moment she bought the arsenic. In A Good Man is Hard to Find and A rose for Emily, you gain a little sympathy for the “villain”. You have more sympathy for the deranged Emily than for the murdered Homer Barron. By the conversation the grandma has with ‘The Misfit’, you gain a little sympathy for him. Especially because he doesn’t shoot them, his accomplices do.
Relevance
Relevant might not be the right word, because the 1920’s and the 1930’s were a completely different time. The industrialization was just coming up and the South followed slowly. However, this is a story about a woman who could not adapt to the changes and since the 21st century is also still changing, I bet there are many people who cannot deal with all these changes. It is also a tragic love story in which miss Emily murders the one she loves because otherwise she cannot be with him. He is not the marrying man, he likes men. This could be relevant to this culture. Every year there are many crimes of passion.
William Faulkner had written the macabre ‘A rose for Emily’. It was published on April
The story takes place in a non-existent city, in a fictional county in the state of Missisippi.
After the civil war, the south became a platform for stories such as ‘A rose for Emily’. It was an excellent scene and with a little bit of horror added, a new genre was born: ‘Southern Gothic’.
Southern Gothic is known for its tales of a posh society and its own unique history. In Emily’s town, the industry and tradition tried to coexist. You can read that around het house, there are cotton gins and gas stations. The way the people react on Emily and how they are portrayed can be seen as a symbol of tradition. Also, the way Emily’s house is portrayed can be seen as tradition. It looks ancient and contains old symbols of the South. The house looks a little bit peculiar in her changing town.
“This imagery of the house is not unlike Faulkner's image of the South itself. This story was written immediately after the twenties; a time with social and technological advancement. The South was still slow to adapt and change which the story implies makes it seem dark and somewhat out of place with the rest of the country.” – Andrew Dutton, June 2008, Helium.com
Response to the story
The response to the stories were mostly negative, especially The Lottery from Shirley Jackson was not appreciated.
William Faulkner criticizes the South and the way things were slowly changing in the South. I do not believe that William Faulkner was praising anything about the American culture. He was just mocking the South and its changes but also its traditions.
Elements of fiction
The elements of fiction he uses is mostly the way he describes things, and how the story is written out of order. He uses words that are ambiguous and portraying a macabre atmosphere. He gives the reader just enough information to be curious about the next chapter, like the description of ‘the smell’ at the beginning of the story, which continued throughout the rest of the story. Also a comment of a town person saying “We did not say she was crazy then ” Suggestion that they would say that now.
The human fear of change
Many people are afraid for change. This story portrayed the human fear for change perfectly. A lot of people in the South could not adapt to the changes that were going on. Emily wants to hold on to the past and this is shown by her not accepting the death of her father, she does not want to pay taxes and she calls out to a Colonel Sartoris who died ten years ago, and she cannot deal with Homer Barron leaving her, so she kills him.
The central themes of the story are past and present, changes and isolation.
Relation to Southern Gothic
The stories obviously relate to each other as being Southern Gothic stories. The stories also happen in old towns with their own traditions. They have murder and despair in them. they use imagery and foreshadowing to prepare the reader for the ending. A comparison to The Lottery is that both The Lottery and A Rose for Emily are written in the third person. The Lottery and A Good Man is Hard to Find both end unexpectedly while A Rose for Emily was clear from the moment she bought the arsenic. In A Good Man is Hard to Find and A rose for Emily, you gain a little sympathy for the “villain”. You have more sympathy for the deranged Emily than for the murdered Homer Barron. By the conversation the grandma has with ‘The Misfit’, you gain a little sympathy for him. Especially because he doesn’t shoot them, his accomplices do.
Relevance
Relevant might not be the right word, because the 1920’s and the 1930’s were a completely different time. The industrialization was just coming up and the South followed slowly. However, this is a story about a woman who could not adapt to the changes and since the 21st century is also still changing, I bet there are many people who cannot deal with all these changes. It is also a tragic love story in which miss Emily murders the one she loves because otherwise she cannot be with him. He is not the marrying man, he likes men. This could be relevant to this culture. Every year there are many crimes of passion.
