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April 12, 2006

"The Artificial Nigger"

"Nelson, though he had not had water since some he had drunk out of a paper cup on the train, passed by the spigot,
disdaining to drink where his grandfather had."


This quote really sums up what I believe Flannery O'Connor was trying to convey with her work, "The Artificial Nigger." Though Mr. Head is constantly imparting his own racist ideas to his young grandson, he is finally thwarted by his own ignorance, giving Nelson a chance to see the error of his ways. By refusing to drink from the same waterfountain as his grandfather, O'Connor effectively shows us that he has begun to realise what type of person his grandfather really is, and distances himself from him because of this.
O'Connor does a masterful job of portraying racist characters, not because she herself is racist, but because she can use them to portray the evils racism has caused and is still causing in American society. Although huge amounts of progress have been made in equal rights, her story is no less valid today than it was 50 yeas ago.

Posted by PaulCrossman at April 12, 2006 02:22 AM

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