Symbolism Of Eyes In Flannery O Connor's Works

Eyes in Flannery O’Connor’s Works
As most well-written authors do, Flannery O’Connor incorporated a lot of symbolism into her writing. One common symbol in her storytelling was eyes. Eyes were a significant symbol in Flannery O’Connor’s works, especially, it seemed, in these four stories: “The Displaced Person,” “Revelation,” “Good Country People,” and “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” She used eyes as subtle ways to communicate a character’s mindset or to build tension. Eyes in “The Displaced Person” tend to be illustrated with violent terms. The eyes are harsh and very rarely are they described softly; Mrs. McIntyre has eyes like “steel or granite,” characters’ gazes often “pierce,” and “icy blue eyes” and other similar descriptions are common.

O’Connor uses her character’s eyes to describe them further and give them more depth. For example, the grandmother has bright aye when the Tennessee Waltz starts playing. She is happy, probably the happiest we see her. Later, we see the exact opposite of this happiness as the family is killed one by one. Bailey and John Wesley are the first to go, Bailey with "blue and intense" eyes. When someone has intense eyes they typically have a very firm and confidant stare and blue is a very hopeful color. I think Bailey was planning on coming back, possibly attacking Hiram before he could do anything, or maybe he was just deluding himself. Just before he disappears into the trees Bailey shouts, “I’ll be back in a minute, Mamma, wait on me!” This further supports the idea that he was planning on coming back. When it’s revealed he’ll never be coming back, the mother and June Star’s eyes turn glassy. We could take this to mean their eyes were filled with tears or that they have disassociated from what is happening around them, probably both, though June Star seems less affected than her mother. She is still able to sass her soon-to-be killer, while her mother is very compliant and out of it. The grandmother dies staring at the sky; staring up into the heavens. The Misfit immediately begins cleaning his glasses after he murders her, he takes away his ability to see what he has done

O’Connor focuses on the lack of sight rather than what can be seen. Close to the end of the story, Joy/Helga’s vision becomes clouded; both literally and figuratively. O’Connor shows that through Manley Pointer’s actions, “when [Joy/Helga’s] glasses got in [Manley Pointer’s] way, he took them off of her and slipped them into his pocket.” Her actual vision is impaired as well as her rational vision. Her glasses got in Pointer’s way, so he took them away; her ability to see clearly got in the way of his goals. He takes her ability to see anything he doesn’t want her to see. Up until this point in this story, Joy/Helga has been rather distant, like she has been experiencing this through another person’s eyes, she isn’t connected to what is happening around her. So when Pointer takes her glasses, her last thread to sanity, she is forced back into her body to experience everything she’s never gotten the chance to before. She becomes completely overwhelmed by all