"I'll tell you another thing, Hulga...you ain't so smart. I been believing in nothing ever since I was born!"
I really like the "Christian" visitor in Flannery O' Connor's story because he is so manipulative of any situation that Hulga is in. While Hulga is trying to become an independent, the visitor is capable of stealing her leg, and forcing her into actually listening to what he has to say. I remember listening in class that people were writing their paper on the archetypal power of these visitors. I really enjoy the lessons that Flannery O' Connor is trying to teach us about the specific morals she is instilling into her characters, even though they are not getting the message. O' Connor is so difficult to figure out, although she follows the same pattern in all of her stories. I thought I figured out the way that Flannery O' Connor writes her tales, but now I have no idea. All I know is that she teaches lessons that her characters will never learn, but the reader always comprehends. Maybe we ain't so smart either, Hulga.
Posted by The Gentle Giant at May 3, 2006 04:34 PMI can understand the bit about the lessons, but is O'Connor really trying to instill morals into her characters? I never got that impression, but I could be wrong. If she is though, what are they, and how do they differentiate from the lessons?
Posted by: Paul Crossman at May 4, 2006 01:26 AM