O Connor s Life - 1323 Words

Known for her short stories and well known novels, author Flannery O’Connor has been a vision of American literature for the last eighty years. Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia during the Great Depression, O’Connor grew up during an era of hardship and trouble trying to focus on her studies while her family was battling financial difficulties. During this time of O’Connor’s life is where her short stories begin to form and her desire to share her experiences of love, friendship, and life blossomed into these short stories. O’Connor’s writing centers around her upbringing in the old south, the strong religious nature of the Bible Belt, all while characterizing her youthfulness are highlighted in two of her greatest short stories titled;†¦show more content†¦As the misfit begins to try and teach the grandmother and friends about his beliefs, the misfit seems to rely upon the phrase, â€Å"My daddy said I was a different breed of d og from my brothers and sisters† (O’Connor) to try and teach people why he is different. He [the misfit] was born this way, not raised to believe the things he does. This awareness of being a misfit or the black sheep of the family seems to be synonymous with having a child that is homosexual. When the misfit in â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† says, â€Å"My daddy said I was a different breed of dog from my brothers and sisters† (O’Connor) there seems to be a direct correlation to where Michelle Dean talks about coming out as a lesbian, â€Å". . . the way we live in a particular society is dangerous for humanity† (Dean). Being the black sheep of the family, the misfit and the grandmother had an interesting relationship because of how her acceptance of his differences would never be welcomed with open arms. The same parallel can be tied in together with O’Connor’s strict Bible Belt religious upbringing. A sin in the eyes of th e grandmother in â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is evidently nothing when looked upon the misfit. Time lining America’s cultural changes has left a window of separation between the grandmother and the misfit which is understanding yet the power struggle that has come under fire later on in the story haunts the theme of acceptance to the core. The timing of when O’Connor was