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March 28, 2006
To fold or not to fold
O'Connor, ''A Circle in the Fire'' -- Jerz: American Lit II (EL 267)
"...there ain't nothing you can do but fold your hands." "I do not fold my hands," Mrs. Cope said.
A psychoanalytic approach might explain that these women represent two oppposing parts of the psyche. Perhaps O'Connor herself felt torn between taking action against unpleasant events and allowing them to happen while she sat in misery.
Posted by JenniferDiFulvio at March 28, 2006 10:23 PM
Comments
That could be true however, I don't think that either of them really wanted to face reality. Not only that they may have felt like nothing could harm them because they were above everyone else.
Posted by: LisaRandolph at March 29, 2006 12:58 PM
O'Connor points out a numer of ways in which the two women are opposite sides of the same coin: Their appearances, their religious outlooks, even their hats. And as different as they are, they are both powerless in the face of their unwanted guests. Their differences don't complement each other, only weaken each other.
Posted by: Megan Ritter at March 30, 2006 03:35 AM
Wow, excellent point. I didn't notice the dualism in that passage before, but you're right, it does seem like they are two opposing forces.
Posted by: ChrisU at March 30, 2006 08:43 AM