Of all the readings we've done, I find Flannery O'Connor's style of writing long and odd. "The Displace Person" contained so much extra information that I lost interest after the first few pages. While reading it, I didn't understand the underlying meanings or message she was trying to convey. But I was able to pick up on few topics that we had discussed with other works we've read.
I think when I was reading it I was looking for specific examples of racism, the typical "southern belle" and gentlemen stereotypes, or notions to the Old South. There were only a few of these examples that I caught. For instance, Mrs. Shortley compares the black workers to mules and notes their worthlessness. Another example is the Judge, who represents an older generation and most likely the Old South.
In class, I realized that O'Connor's writing was nothing like we've read yet. Her focus is on religion. It took a lot for me to realize the point of her writing. The only religion I picked up on was Mrs. Shortley's vision. But we also discussed O'Connor's need to shock her audience. The ending of The Displaced Person showed violence, but not the way we are used to seeing it. Although the Displaced Person was deliberately killed, there were hardly any gruesome descriptions: "...she had heard the little noise the Pole made as the tractor wheel broke his backbone." In other readings, we've seen much more violence. In A Streetcar Named Desire, we saw Stanley's temper in action, in Their Eyes were Watching God we read about Janie's beatings, and in Dry September we read about the horrible mistreatment of an accused black man. So The Displaced Person seems mild to me.
In order to really enjoy O'Connor's writings, I think you must know a lot about her background and her intentions. Before we discussed this in class, I thought that the story was rather dull. I thought it dragged on and there was a lot of unnecessary information. After our discussion, I understood her motives and reasons for her writings, but I still find the plot to be lacking.
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2 comments:
Shes I must agree this was a dull reading. But I understand what you mean she definetly has her purpose when she writes. She has a reason fo the way she writes, its definetly confusing but in ther end it all makes sence.
"For instance, Mrs. Shortley compares the black workers to mules and notes their worthlessness" I find this concept a little strange compared to the past readings that basically say that the blacks are products that can be bought and sold. I know that the time period is different, but I kind of wonder when it changes and how hard it was for the southern whites to changes their train of thought.
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