THE QUEST MOTIF IN FLANNERY O'CONNOR'S SHORT STORIES (GEORGIA)
Abstract
This dissertation posits that many of the characters in Flannery O'Connor's short stories are unconsciously questing for Redemption. Their quests are extremely difficult because they have either distorted or ignored Christian rituals which have traditionally provided the path to Redemption. These characters therefore strive toward their immediate goals, while grace pulls them Godward, often converting their trips into spiritual journeys. The quest motif is analyzed in nine stories at the literal, allegorical, moral, and anagogical levels in order to show that the characters have little or no moral consciousness and that they are usually unaware of grace, which works at the anagogical level. This approach shows that the controlling author often mocks the moral and spiritual blindness of her characters by portraying them grotesquely and comically. Sometimes she allows them to suddenly recognize the presence of Christian mystery in some physical image which has been present all along. Often she portrays them as physically maimed in order to suggest their spiritual distortions, and in other instances she comically reduces Christian rituals and icons to the characters' level of comprehension. The outcome of the quest is determined by the quester's response to the offer of grace. In Chapter 2, "The Artificial Nigger," "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," and "Parker's Back" exemplify the achieved quest. The questers in those stories are shocked into spiritual consciousness. In Chapter 3, "A View of the Woods," "Good Country People," and "The Displaced Person" illustrate the denied quest in which characters refuse to heed the promptings of grace, turn inward and attempt to substitute their own emotions for Redemption. Consequently, their quests end in death or defeat. Chapter 4 treats "Everything That Rises Must Converge," "The Enduring Chill," and "The Comforts of Home" to show that some quests are left incomplete because the questers allow their pride to blind them to the mystery of the universe.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
American literature
Off-Campus Purdue Users:
To access this dissertation, please log in to our
proxy server.