Flannery O Connor Writing Style Analysis

Throughout her multitude of works, author Flannery O’Connor employs the primary use a descriptive style of writing, with her works illustrating religion. Religion makes an appearance throughout her works, but for all the wrong reasons. Without context, religion is often seen as a positive, but under the hands of O’Connor, religion is depicted as being manipulated and used for crime. This can be visualized within her three works, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” and “Good Country People,” as within those short stories, religion is introduced and used in a twisted manner. Although religion is a central component to her descriptive writing style, O’Connor also frequently utilizes as elements of that style, foreshadowing,
the establishment of setting to be in the south, as well as highlighting of sexual inequalities lingering within society at the time. To begin with, Flannery O’Connor’s descriptive writing style often consists of the negative aspects of religion - how it can be manipulated and contorted to harm someone. This characteristic is illustrated within her short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” through the character, The Misfit. While conversing with the grandmother, religion was introduced. This prompts The Misfit to say, “Jesus was the only one that ever raised the dead, He shouldn’t have done it. He shown everything off balance.” Through saying this, The Misfit reveals his own interpretation of Christianity, as he accuses Jesus for all the wrong in the world. It is in his own understanding of religion that prompts him to systematically murder the entire family, as he said, “If He did what He said, then it's nothing for you to do but thow away everything and follow Him, and if He didn't, then it's nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can-by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him.” By describing how The Misfit became influenced by religion for malice, O’Connor shows her descriptive writing style through illustrating the negative use of religion and the faults that accompany it, such as its proneness to outlandish interpretations. In addition to that, O’Connor further shows her writing style through detailing how religion can be used for wrongdoing in her story, “The Life You Save May Be Your Own.” Within the story, a man named Mr.
Shiflet suddenly appears and begins to dramatically improve the lives of mother Lucynell Crater and daughter Lucynell Crater. As a result, he is depicted as an angel, helping the family out so much so that mother Lucynell begs for him to marry her daughter, which would ensure his permanent resident so he would be able to help out everyday. However, Mr. Shiftlet reveals his true intentions by stealing Lucynell’s car and kidnapping her daughter, and eventually abandoning her at a diner later. This is also shown during his encounter with a young hitchhiker when Mr. Shiflet attempts to portray himself as an angel by telling the boy he regrets leaving his mother in hopes of persuading the boy to return to his own. Unlike Lucynell however, the young boy is able to see past the facade of Mr. Shiflet, exclaiming, “You go to the devil!” Through Mr. Shiflet appearing as an angel, when in reality he is more of the devil, O’Connor expresses the prominence of religion within her works as well as its ability to be used for
harm. Moreover, O’Connor’s descriptive writing style is also depicted in her story “Good Country People,” through the faults that accompany religion. Within the story, a family is approached by a boy named Manley Pointer who is advertising bibles. Assumed to be an innocent and honest person, he is welcomed into the house where he seizes the love of Hulga through deception; then proceeding to whisk her away into a barn where he eventually burglarizes her. In doing so, the thought-to-be innocent boy reveals his true nature, as he isn’t a prophet of religion, but rather a crook. By portraying this thief as a prophet of Christ, O’Connor illustrates how religion can be used for evil, as the boy who was recently depicted as good due to his affiliation with Christ had just burglarized an innocent girl; thus showing O’Connor’s writing style as she chronicles religion and its darker side due to its capacity for manipulation. Not only does Flannery O’Connor’s descriptive writing style contain the element of religion, it also consists of the frequent establishment of a southern setting. This southern setting is affirmed through the typical southern slang and southern accent often said by her characters. This is shown in, “Good Country People” through Mrs. Freeman saying, “Yes, most people is,” in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” through The Misfit saying “I don’t want no hep,” and in “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” through Mr. Shiflet saying, “It’s the law that don’t satisfy me.” Furthermore, the locations described within the stories also reveal a southern setting, such as in “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” where the family is depicted to be in Georgia. The purpose of establishing a southern setting might possibly be attributed to the lack of education, which is shown through the often improper grammar and language employed during speech. As a result of this inadequacy of education, the characters depicted within O’Connor’s story are more susceptible to manipulation by religion, the basis for which her stories are formed. In addition to that, another central element in Flannery O’Connor’s writing style would include her depiction of the sexual inequalities lingering within society at the time. Within her three short stories, a clear similarly protrudes: the victims consist solely of women with men being the oppressor or criminal. In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” the victim is Lucynell, as Mr. Shiflet preyed upon her, gaining her trust and then abusing it. He robs her wealth, steals her car, and abducts her daughter. Lucynell was taken advantage of, resulting in her losing the most important thing to her: her daughter. This is also shown in “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” as The Misfit toyed with the grandmother while she was pleading for her life, eventually putting an end to it, and in “Good Country People” through Manley Pointer deceiving Hulga and burglarizing her. O’Connor lived in an era that still contained sexual inequalities as an element of society and wanted to illustrate that within her works. Through depicting women exclusively as the victims in her short stories, she alludes to her own reality where oppression of women was considered normal. As a result of this norm that she grew up in, O’Connor wove into her writing the seuxal discrimination that plagued her society. In conjunction with the other elements that make up her writing style, Flannery O’Connor also utilizes foreshadowing greatly within her stories.
In “Good Country People,” O’Connor foreshadowed the character’s personalities through their names. Manley Pointer, the bible salesman for example, lured Hulga into the barn and attempted to to advance on her sexually numerous times. His name is Manley Pointer and he is trying to use his manly pointer (penis) on a girl he had recently met, which reveals his true character as he isn’t the innocent bible seller people thought he was. Furthermore O’Connor’s foreshadowing through names is also shown through Mrs. Hopewell, who is a character of hope. In addition to that, O’Connor also foreshadows in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” through mentioning an escaped convict, The Misfit, early on in the story. By mentioning the criminal early on in the story, O’Connor foreshadows the family’s encounter with him. Moreover, O’Connor likewise foreshadows in “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” Mr. Shiflet's true character through imagery early on within the story. As he greeted Lucynell and her daughter, Mr. Shiflet was depicted as forming a “crooked cross.” By saying that his figure formed a crooked cross, O’Connor foreshadows his facade of character, as he was simply there to get the
car. In conclusion, Flannery O’Connor possesses a descriptive writing style and expresses it through describing religion’s capacity for exploitation and manipulation, through establishing a southern setting, through the depicting of sexual inequalities, and through the utilization of foreshadowing. She frequently describes within her three works, “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” and “Good Country People,” religion’s ability to be twisted and used for evil, such as through Manley Pointer, the bible salesman, stealing Hulga’s prosthetic leg. Furthermore, she also depicts a southern setting in her works which is shown through the southern accent lingering around the speech of her characters. O’Connor likewise describes throughout her works the presence of sexual inequality, as the women are repeatedly shown as the victims. Lastly, she foreshadows within her stories the character’s traits, such as through describing the imagery of a “crooked cross” when portraying Mr. Shiflet.