Collards Greens and Baby Dreams

“A Stroke of Good Fortune” by Flannery O’Connor

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“ ‘Collard greens!’ she said, spitting the word from her mouth this time as if it were a poisonous seed.”

            According to VegParadise, southerners believe that collards, when eaten on New Year’s Day, brought a year of good fortune.  They also kept out evil spirits if hung over the door and supposedly prevented cancer.  Not surprisingly, the title of this story suggests good fortune to come and mentions collards. 

However, the story opens with Ruby yelling about collards.  If there is one thing Ruby hates, it is children for all they do is make their mother’s “deader.”  When she realizes that her good fortune is a child, she flips out and tries to ignore her stomach which obviously shows she is about four or five months pregnant.  Ruby screaming about collards at the beginning of the story corresponds and foreshadows her screaming about being pregnant at the end of the story.