a very rough draft

Whether it is an intense action sequence in the latest block buster or the six o’clock news, we often are exposed to some sort of violence almost every day. And yet, many still can not stomach the violence which the southern Catholic author, Flannery O’Conner, portrays. In this paper, I will look at why the violence in two of O’Connor’s stories is horrifying and then compare her view of grace and violence to the Biblical idea.

All of Flannery O’Connor short stories and novels contain a good amount of violence, but for the purpose of this paper I will only deal with two. The first will be her novel The Violent Bear it Away and the second will be her short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. The former follows the story of Mason Tarwater. This boy had grown up with his great uncle who taught Tarwater that he would become a prophet. After his great uncle’s death Tarwater is called to baptize his mentally retarded cousin. However, Tarwater refuses to fulfill his calling to the point where he drowns his cousin in a lake instead of baptizing him. As Tarwater runs from the lake, he is given a ride by a stranger. This man gives Tarwater marijuana and whiskey causing Tarwater to lose consciousness. The man then rapes Tarwater leaving him in the forest. This event marks the start of a change in Tarwater. After re-visiting his uncle’s grave Tarwater finally accepts his calling (Baumgaertner 190). The end of the novel shows how Tarwater’s failure to run from God causes Tarwater to live the life of a prophet (Giannone 11)

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” is the story of a family and their grandmother traveling to Florida. The story focuses on the grandmother. The grandmother makes it clear to her son that she would rather go to Tennessee then to Florida claiming that she is merely thinking of their safety as there is a serial killer called the misfit on the lose. She brings the cat along ignoring the fact that her son had insisted the cat stay home. She makes sure she is well dressed for the road trip for if they got in accident she would want everyone to know that she was a lady. Finally, when a side street reminds her of a plantation she knew she was younger she insists on turning and seeing it there. However, she soon remembers that the street was the wrong one after all. The realization causes her to upset the cat. This causes a train of event which end up with the family stranded on the road with their car wrecked. It is then that the serial killer the Misfit comes on the scene. One by one he has the entire family killed leaving the grandmother behind. As the Misfit is about to kill the grandmother, she cries out that the Misfit is her child. Ignoring her pleas to be spared, the Misfit kills the grandmother

The first horrifying aspect of the violence in these two stories is the victims. In the first story we see a boy being raped by a homosexual while in the second we see a proper elderly lady being killed by a serial killer. It is not just that these horrible things happened to these vulnerable people, but that O’Connor actually has these characters find grace in these events.

Just before the Misfit kills the grandmother, the grandmother says that the misfit is her child. In this act the grandmother is receiving grace through the misfit because she admits that they are apart of the same family and are responsible for each other (Keil). Similarly, Tarwater finds grace in his rape as this starts him turning towards his call. However, this does not sit well with many. These bad things should not happen to these types of people. If the misfit or homosexual rapist underwent a violent encounter that would be fine.

O’Connor using these people in this way, however, is just following Jesus. Jesus would eat dinner with tax collectors and prostitutes, He had ready forgiveness for the murders and thieves, but the middle class Pharisees he pronounces judgment on (Wilson) and he chases the money lenders from the temple. Those who have the outward appearance of goodness often under go the most horrifying violence in order to receive God’s grace.

Another disturbing element about the violence in these two stories is the fact that O’Connor uses evil men to bring the grace. We expect nice ministers or even shining angels to bring grace to those in need. Instead O’Connor uses a murderer and a rapist. Although God does use the ministers and the angel, we must never underestimate his use of the darkness. He does this continually throughout the Bible. Whether it be a terrible flood in Noah’s case, a command to execute his own son in Abraham’s case, or a deep pit in Joseph’s case, God has been bringing grace through the dark things in this world (Wilson).

Not that this grace by violence is an easy thing to endure. The grandmother was killed and Tarwater went through a great amount of anguish. “Grace cuts. It hurts; it slices; it makes us bleed” (Wilson) Not that the entire Christian faith is about this horrible violence, but it is that aspect that O’Connor chose to explore in her writing. There are many blessings of the cross, but O’Connor explores the suffering of what it means to follow Christ and take up our own cross (Shloss 100).

The violence and grace in O’Connor’s stories is especially horrifying since it is the vulnerable who are violated and killed, and it is those who victimize the vulnerable that bring about God’s grace.