Grotesque In Flannery O Connor's Work

Throughout all of Flannery O’Connor’s work, there are three dominant themes that show themselves: Christianity, irony, and grotesqueness. In nearly every story of hers, O’Connor is able to make a tragic story very grotesque in the way that she describes the events and characters of her story. [add more to introduction] Christianity is an ever occurring theme in O’Connor’s work, because she grew up on strong Southern, Christian values. Typically, most people believe that being a Christian narrows the point of view of the author. However, it is the opposite for O’Connor’s writing. She believed that being a Christian should widen people’s perspective. For example, in A Good Man is Hard to Find, the grandmother and the Misfits are both symbols of “recipients of grace.” They stand to represent all of the sinners in the world. In the Bible, it is a known fact that God has the power to grant everyone entry to Heaven regardless of what they did in a past. O’Connor is showing that even the most unlikely or undeserving people can be granted forgiveness and peace. However, even though Christianity is a symbol that is prominent in O’Connor’s works, she still manages to pull in the grotesque theme that she is renowned for. These two themes are very contradicting but has become a well-known theme for many writers. It is often referred to as “Southern Gothic.”

When the grandmother wears the hat in the short story A Good Man is Hard to Find, she wears it to show that she is a lady after the car accident occurs. Nothing is as important to her as that of being recognized as a lady. However, when the grandmother is in the car accident, she is thrown from the car, and the brim of her hat falls off. Meanwhile, her family is left to die at the hands of the Misfit. The grandmother drops her hat, and her image of herself as a lady is left