The Pole's Crucifixion
"'He didn't have to come in the first place,' she repeated, emphasizing each word.
The old man smiled absently. 'He came to redeem us,' he said and blandly reached for her hand and shook it and said he must go" (O'Connor 239-240).
Mrs. McIntyre has a moral conflict within herself about firing Mr. Guizac. She wants to, but cannot do it. Instead of needing someone to reassure her that it is the right decision, she needs someone to tell her it is not. This is why she keeps telling the priest reasons for her to fire the Pole. I liked how as Mrs. McIntyre talks about how the Pole didn't have to come while the priest was watching the birds and talking about Christ. In the quote I chose, Mrs. McIntyre refers to the Pole as "he" and the priest takes the "he" to mean Christ instead of the Pole. This makes a correlation between the Pole and Christ. Towards the end, after all the persecution Mr. Guizac endured and the accusations of being sent by the devil, the Pole is killed. "She heard the little noise the Pole made as the tractor wheel broke his backbone" (250). Crucifixion?
The old man smiled absently. 'He came to redeem us,' he said and blandly reached for her hand and shook it and said he must go" (O'Connor 239-240).
Mrs. McIntyre has a moral conflict within herself about firing Mr. Guizac. She wants to, but cannot do it. Instead of needing someone to reassure her that it is the right decision, she needs someone to tell her it is not. This is why she keeps telling the priest reasons for her to fire the Pole. I liked how as Mrs. McIntyre talks about how the Pole didn't have to come while the priest was watching the birds and talking about Christ. In the quote I chose, Mrs. McIntyre refers to the Pole as "he" and the priest takes the "he" to mean Christ instead of the Pole. This makes a correlation between the Pole and Christ. Towards the end, after all the persecution Mr. Guizac endured and the accusations of being sent by the devil, the Pole is killed. "She heard the little noise the Pole made as the tractor wheel broke his backbone" (250). Crucifixion?
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Recent Comments
Erica Gearhart on The Pole's Crucifixion: This is a really good point.
Lauren Miller on The Pole's Crucifixion: What I also find interesting a
Stephanie Wytovich on The Pole's Crucifixion: I agree with what you said abo
Angela Palumbo on The Pole's Crucifixion: I completely agree with you on
Lauren Miller on The Pole's Crucifixion: What I also find interesting a
Stephanie Wytovich on The Pole's Crucifixion: I agree with what you said abo
Angela Palumbo on The Pole's Crucifixion: I completely agree with you on
I completely agree with you on this one. The Pole is the most Christ-like figure of all of O'Connor's characters (from the works we have read anyway.) I wrote some about this topic actually and even elaborated a little. You may find it interesting. Check it out!
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/AngelaPalumbo/2008/03/oconnoryou_son_of_acarpenter_s.html
I agree with what you said about Mrs. McIntyre. It does seem like she constantly repeates to herself reasons of what she should and should not do just to justify her own sinful behavior.
What I also find interesting about this story is the way in which Mrs. McIntyre views the priest. She does not see him as a good man; just as someone who comes to steal her money. And yet, he is a figure of the church. Mrs. McIntyre apparently has her own perspectives on religion. Even while the priest was talking about purgatory, Mrs. McIntyre interrupted him and said, "'I'm not theological. I'm practical! I want to talk to you about something practical!'" (O'Connor 237). The battle that she is having within herself is between being practical and theological.
You did a great job of analyzing Mrs. McIntyre's moral conflict, Kaitlin. I'm sure Mrs. McIntyre's character will leave us with much to talk about during the class discussion.
This is a really good point. The first time I read this story I did not consider all of the religious symbolism, but it is definitely clear this second time, especially after reading everyone's blogs. Great job in analyzing this scene and these characters.