Literary Analysis: "Revelation"

Flannery O’Connor’s “Revelation,” is about a man and his wife, Mrs. Turpin. The story begins as Mr. and Mrs. Turpin go to the doctor’s office and Mrs. Turpin begins a conversation with the mother of Mary Grace, a little girl also waiting in the doctor’s office. As Mrs. Turpin talks to the mother, she looks around the room and sees a “white trash” lady and she thanks god she is not like that woman. Throughout the story she continuously thanks God that she is not black or poor, and that she is wealthy and owns land. Mary Grace stares at Mrs. Turpin during the women’s conversation with disgust, as if she know exactly what Mrs. Turpin is thinking. As Mary Grace’s disgust for Mrs. Turpin grows, she suddenly explodes and attacks Mrs. Turpin saying “go back to Hell where you came from, you old wart hog.” Later that day, Mrs. Turpin is at her house hosing her hogs and wondering why God sent her the message from Mary Grace today. Suddenly, she sees a streak of light leading up towards the sky acting some what as a bridge. She sees people advancing towards the sky, and she notices that they are the type of people she was feeling sorry for the entire day. black people, the white trash women, and “freaks and lunatics,” are all walking up towards the sky, or heaven. Following them are Mr. and Mrs. Turpin. Mrs. Turpin then realizes that all people are equal in God’s eyes.

My favorite symbol in “Revelation” was Mary Grace. Her name directly explains to readers what role she is playing in the story: grace. She serves as a messenger of God for Mrs. Turpin to make her realizes that although she is “saved,” Mrs. Turpin’s view on the world and God’s people is skewed. O’Connor also uses the eyes as a symbol, as she does in many of her stories. Mary Grace’s eyes grow angrier and more intense as she listens to Mrs. Turpin talk, and O’Connor writes that her eyes "seemed lit all of a sudden with a peculiar light, an unnatural light like night road signs give." The comparison of her eyes and road signs foreshadows that Mary Grace will be leading Mrs. Turpin towards something. Which the readers eventually find out is the revelation.

Literary Analysis: "Good Country People"

“Good Country People,” by Flannery O’Connor is about a mother, Mrs. Hopewell, and her daughter, Joy. Joy is disabled due to a hunting accident that took off her led. She is 33 years old and still lives with her mother, as if she was still a teenager. This is not the only way Joy acts as a child. She is very naive, despite the fact that she has a PhD in philosophy, and she lacks common, worldly sense. Joy believes, although, that she is more intellectual than the “good country people” who surround her. One day, “Hulga,” the name Joy gives herself, and her mother open their door to a “bible salesman,” Manly Pointer. Later in the story, Hulga and Manly go on a picnic in a barn loft. Manly persuades Hulga to take off her glasses and fake leg. He then tells her he steals prosthetics from the disabled and leaves. Hulga is alone in the loft blind and abandoned.

“Good Country People,” like many of O’Connors stories, includes many symbols and references to eyes. Hulga wears glasses throughout the story, but ironically the world is blind to her. She does not see the worldly evils, and she believes she is much more intelligent than others, especially “good country people.” Hulga thinks she is smarter than Manly and that she can seduce him, all the while, Manly is plotting to steal her fake leg. After Manly leaves her abandoned and without her glasses, she finally sees the world for what it can be: evil. “Good Country People,” is another example of O’Connor’s lack of confidence for good people in the world, as seen in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.”

Literary Analysis: "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

“A Good Man is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor is about a family driving to vacation when they get in a car accident. The family, including a husband and wife, their two children, and the husband’s mother, are approached by 3 men carrying guns after the accident. The grandmother recognizes a shirtless man as “the misfit,” a man who escaped from prison and was on the run towards Florida. Shortly after the family is taken out of the car by the three runaway convicts, they are taken into the woods and killed. The grandmother is the last family member alive, as she talks to the misfit for a short while. She tells the misfit that she believes he is a good man at heart and they talk about God. They talk about whether Jesus really raised the dead, and then the misfit raises his gun and shoots the grandmother in the chest 3 times.

I believe “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” is about the morals of different human beings. The morals of the misfit are obviously skewed, as he murdered an innocent family. What is not so obvious is the lack of morals coming from the grandmother. The first evidence of the grandmother’s lack of morals is when she prepares to leave for vacation by dressing up as a lady. She wants to look as much as a lady as possible incase the family got into a car accident, people would know she was a lady. Not only is this part of the story foreshadowing the event to come, it also shows that the grandmother is more worried about whether people think she is a lady, instead of the possibility her family could die in an accident. 

Another example of the grandmother’s lack of morals is her attitude change throughout the story. When the family stops at a restaurant, the grandmother talks to the restaurant owner about how a good man is hard to find. A little later, when the grandmother is sitting outside of the car speaking to the misfit, she tells him she believes he is a good man. She lies about what she believes to save her own life. 

Literary Analysis: "The Birthmark"

“The Birthmark,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a short story investigating one man’s strive for perfection. Aylmer, a scientist, becomes obsessed throughout the story to remove a small birthmark from his wife’s face. His wife, Georgiana, is a beautiful woman who is thought as perfect by her admirers, although, she too is driven towards obtaining perfection to please her husband. Aylmer can no longer see his wife’s beauty because he is so fixated on her birthmark and Georgiana will go as far as literally die to be perfect in the eyes of her husband.

Hawthorne’s use of foreshadowing plays a dramatic role in the story. He uses numerous examples, some more obvious than others, that foreshadow Georgiana’s death. Aylmer creates a flower that quickly dies after Georgiana touches it which is foreshadowing Georgiana’s inevitable death. Another example is when the birthmark appears on a metal plate of Georgiana’s face, which Aylmer immediately throws into acid. This foreshadows not only that Georgiana will die, but it will ultimately be Aylmer’s fault due to his strive for perfection.

My favorite aspect of Hawthorne’s story is his overall message that perfection is unattainable. This idea is hinted at throughout the story and then made definite when Georgiana dies after her birthmark disappears. The first time I read this story I found it disturbing because the thought of dying to be perfect in the eyes of your husband is ludicrous in my opinion. After reading the story for a second time and analyzing it further, I found Hawthorne was supporting my opinion. “The Birthmark,” shows the absurdity of striving for perfection and the inevitable conclusion that perfection does not exist. Instead it is the imperfections, like the birthmark, that make each human exactly what they should be, human.

Literary Analysis: "Killings"

“Killings,” by Andre Dubus presents the very controversial topic of “an eye for an eye.” Dubus has readers ask themselves whether murder could be considered justifiable in the case of Matt Fowler killing Robert Strout, the man who murdered Fowler’s son Frank. Dubus really challenges readers by creating Matt Fowler’s character in a favorable light. While reading the short story I did not have any difficulty in feeling sympathetic and somewhat supporting Matt’s actions, while I felt very little sorrow for Strout. I believe Dubus does this on purpose to really have readers question their ethics.

While reading the story, another controversial debate came to mind. The death penalty will always be a a very opinionated and heated topic. One side to the debate is that no human being should have the right to legally end another human’s life. The other side is that justice should be served to people who have committed murder through the loss of their own lives. Matt Fowler was acting through this mindset, believing his mind would not be at rest until his son’s murderer was also dead. Matt’s actions in the end were extremely illegal, and in my opinion do not serve justice. So how is the death penalty justifiable? I think this question can easily rise from this short story.

I found it interesting how many tragedies Dubus had to endure throughout his life. I believe “Killings,” directly connected with Dubus’ sister’s rape. The incident affected him throughout his life, and I am sure he wanted revenge on his sister’s rapist. Possibly, the story was a way for Dubus to deal with his thoughts and ethics in relation to his sister’s tragedy.

Literary Analysis: "The Story of an Hour"

As I opened the book and skimmed over “The Story of an Hour,” the first thing I noticed was how short it was. I did not think the story would be very descriptive or interesting because of it’s length, but that was far from the truth. The story expressed the emotions of women during the 19th century. When Mrs. Mallard is told of her husband’s death, she is first overwhelmed with tears. After the initial shock, she begins to see his death as an opportunity for freedom. This sense of freedom is expressed through the symbolism of the open window she stares through in the hour she believes her husband is dead.
As Mrs. Mallard looks out the window she sees all things associated with joy and happiness. I believe the window acts as a door to a new world. A world of freedom and independence for Mrs. Mallard. She dreamed of “spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own,” where her actions would not be controlled by her husband. 

I think it was very daring of Kate Chopin to write a story about a wife being happy about her husband’s death, especially during this time period. I am sure it was widely criticized by men, and secretly appreciated by women during the late 1800’s. The story opens readers to the possible mindsets of oppressed women during this time. Chopin’s story also introduces the thought of feminism and independent women. 

For me, the most moving part of the entire story was the last couple of sentences. For the majority of the story you are reading about Mrs. Mallard’s dreams now that her husband is dead, and in the matter of sentences, her husband returns home and she dies. It think the suddenness of her death shows her extreme disappointment now that her dreams for independence are gone. This story is very moving and at the same time, very controversial.

Literary Analysis: "A Rose for Emily"

I had read “A Rose for Emily” during high school, so I was prepared for the odd plot and disturbing realization of Homer Barron in the ending. When I first read the short story a couple years ago my main thoughts were that this story was extremely different and Faulkner was a very interesting, as well as odd, writer. While reading “A Rose for Emily,” for the second time, I found my self much more interested in the story overall. I was mainly concerned with Miss Emily’s feelings and emotions throughout her life.

The point of view used in this story caused me to feel extremely sorry for Miss Emily. The way Faulkner presented the point of view from an outsider, or neighbor, judging Miss Emily constantly throughout the years, created sympathy in me for Miss Emily. As a reader, I did not fully understand Miss Emily’s thoughts or emotions, so it was hard to fully understand her as a person. Instead, I viewed her as an unfortunate and misunderstood human being.

One of my favorite symbols in the story is Miss Emily’s house. My english teacher during high school loved to stress the symbolism of how Miss Emily and the house were related deeply in the story. They both represented southern tradition in the 19th century, although the world outside the house, and outside of Emily’s mind, was changing. The sidewalk being built is a subtle example of the changing world. I think Miss Emily was scared of change, as she became extremely reclusive after her father died. As well as most likely killing her suitor, Homer Barron. I think she killed Barron in an attempt to “freeze” time.

Introduction

I love to read but I haven't been reading as much lately as I used to. Apart from school assigned reading, I do not read on a daily basis. The last book I did read was Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Played with Fire. It is the second book in a trilogy written by a Swedish author. 

I have already read many of the assigned stories for the semester and I enjoyed many of them.  I am excited  to read new stories as well as learn more about once I have read.