In Flannery O’ Connor’s The Artificial Nigger, the themes of mercy and innocence are very prominent. The two main characters in this story are a grandfather and his grandson. While the grandson possesses characteristics of an elderly man, the grandfather possesses childlike qualities. When these two characters are uprooted from their rural home and are placed amongst the midst of urban life, these qualities become increasingly apparent.
In terms of appearances, the child looks very similar to his grandfather, “They were grandfather and grandson but they looked enough alike to be brothers and brothers not too far apart in age…” (251). Once the characters are in the city, the grandfather is frightened, but the child acts coolly and with indifference towards the situation. Furthermore, the grandfather looses the bagged lunch and the child chastises him for this loss. Above all, the grandfather pulls a childish prank on his grandson by hiding in an alley way while the child sleeps. As a result, the grandfather leads the grandson to peril.
The themes of mercy and childish innocence are brought to the forefront in the presence of the artificial nigger. However, the way in which the two characters relate to this statue is very different. In the presence of the artificial nigger, the grandfather, “looked like an ancient child” and the grandson, “like a miniature old man” (269). While the grandfather feels the action of mercy take place, the grandson seems to forsake God by stating “I’m glad I’ve went once, but I’ll never go back again!” thus implying that the old can be innocent and the young can deny themselves mercy.
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2 comments:
You made some great points here. I like how you hit on that the drawbacks of each character become more apparent when they are uprooted and thrown into an unfamiliar situation. The blurred line between their ages is very interesting. I read it that it's not age and wisdom that really matter in life before those can be irrelevant in certain situations and do not dictate who a person is. I think O'Connor is saying our mercy and the mercy of others is what allows us to survive and thrive.
The comparison between the blurred physical apperances of grandson and grandfather as old and young worked really well here. Could you go even further and compare the blur of their actions as immature and mature?
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