The automobile is closely associated with both Death, and the Spirit in this story, and I wanted to go back to some loose threads that were bothering me during class.
The car is associated with Death in two instances: First, the old woman says he'll have to sleep in the car and he replies, "the monks of old slept in their coffins" (which they did, in order to remind them constantly of their mortality, and the importance of continuing obedience to God.) Secondly, when Shiftlet fixes the car--bringing together missing parts to make the car whole--he has "an expression of serious modesty on his face as if he had just raised the dead. The car needed new parts, so Shiftlet gathered them together to make his repairs--unfortunately, he can't get a replacement part for his arm. This notion of a car made up of parts comes up again when Shiftlet delivers a little Marxist speech about making a car as a whole, with a personal investment by the labourer, rather than a car made of alienated parts by infinite numbers of alienated labourers. The notion of missing and separate parts connects Shiftlet's body with the car itself. However, Shiftlet complicates that connection when he insists that "the spirit...is like a automobile, always on the move" (if, that is, it has the right parts). From this can we consider the possibility that Shiftlet's spirit, like his body, is not fully functional because it has been truncated in some way? It would /could be a perfectly good spirit (carrying out good intentions, etc.), if only in could overcome the diaspora of certain alienated spiritual elements--the gaps between Shiftlet's intentions and his actions could be closed with a tune-up if someone would take the trouble to gather the parts.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Holiday
For now, this post will be short and sweet. I want to look into gender issues in Holiday and how they pertain, yet again, to their social constructions. Here we have Ottilie, a character who undoubtedly calls into question traditional gender boundaries, especially in appearance. Appearance wise, Ottilie is essentially genderless. How does this genderless-ness fit into the ways in which the Muller family treats her? I see the Muller family as a metaphor for society, which in essence, they are (I mean, there are a lot of them...) How do social constructs appear in Holiday, and more importantly how do they defined characters, especially in relation to gender?
The River
Biblical Symbolism: Rivers:
Rivers, and especially the River Jordan, figure prominently in the stories of the Bible, where they often represent deliverance and salvation, freedom, or cleansing. Jacob crossed the Jordan to meet his brother Esau after many years of exile. The Israelites crossed the Jordan to enter into their Promised Land. John the Baptist baptized the repentant in the Jordan.
The phrase "crossing the Jordan" is often used euphemistically of death. However, in the Bible, the typology of crossing a river (or passing through water) almost always means a transition from death to life, from slavery to freedom, or from sin to righteousness.
While this symbolism is fine and nice, I'd like to take an unfounded and opposing stance and go ahead and say that this is NOT what Bevel's river symbolizes. I mean, in some respects, the river does symbolize this, but I think it's because of the religious stigmatization placed upon the river within the novel. Again, referring to Butler, I think that the river, much like the mind, if established through cultural inscription. Although we perceive that our minds are something separate, something that cannot be inscribed upon by culture, quite the reverse is true. As our body is inscribed upon by cultural laws etc, it shapes and defines our soul. Good News: if we recognize that our minds are just as much inscribed upon as our bodies, we can change out outlook. Unfortunately, it becomes too late for Bevel...or does it?
Rivers, and especially the River Jordan, figure prominently in the stories of the Bible, where they often represent deliverance and salvation, freedom, or cleansing. Jacob crossed the Jordan to meet his brother Esau after many years of exile. The Israelites crossed the Jordan to enter into their Promised Land. John the Baptist baptized the repentant in the Jordan.
The phrase "crossing the Jordan" is often used euphemistically of death. However, in the Bible, the typology of crossing a river (or passing through water) almost always means a transition from death to life, from slavery to freedom, or from sin to righteousness.
While this symbolism is fine and nice, I'd like to take an unfounded and opposing stance and go ahead and say that this is NOT what Bevel's river symbolizes. I mean, in some respects, the river does symbolize this, but I think it's because of the religious stigmatization placed upon the river within the novel. Again, referring to Butler, I think that the river, much like the mind, if established through cultural inscription. Although we perceive that our minds are something separate, something that cannot be inscribed upon by culture, quite the reverse is true. As our body is inscribed upon by cultural laws etc, it shapes and defines our soul. Good News: if we recognize that our minds are just as much inscribed upon as our bodies, we can change out outlook. Unfortunately, it becomes too late for Bevel...or does it?
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Life You Save May Be Your Own
Sun imagery is prevalent in many of Flannery O'Connor's works. Though subdued, the sun plays a somewhat important role in the Life You Save. The first appearance of sun imagery in the Life You Save occurs in reference to Mr. Shiflet. When Mr. Shiflet turns to face the sunset his face forms the shadow of a "crooked cross."
I know someone in the class is particularly interested in investing Mr. Shiflet's satisfaction, or lack thereof, in this story and this article I found on sun imagery may be pertinent to your paper. It's called, "Torn by the Lord's Eye": Flannery O'Connor's use of Sun Imagery...Anyhow, I found a particular aspect of this article relevant to the discussion we had earlier this week regarding the Life You Save, it reads as follows, "Like Christ, he is not satisfied by a mere ritual experience of the law." This statement was interesting to me because more than anything, including the theme of violence in the works of O'Connor, I see a recurring theme of that is similar to the "salt of the earth" qualm. This theme is that of O'Connor's desire to probe at her readers, to ask them "what do you believe, but more importantly, WHY do you believe it?" As a whole, O'Connor makes a point to avoid didacticism in her writing, but rather attempts to create an experience in which her characters EXPERIENCE situations in which they are forced to question their beliefs.
Works Cited
Stuart L. Burns
Twentieth Century Literature, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Oct., 1967), pp. 154-166
Published by: Hofstra University
I know someone in the class is particularly interested in investing Mr. Shiflet's satisfaction, or lack thereof, in this story and this article I found on sun imagery may be pertinent to your paper. It's called, "Torn by the Lord's Eye": Flannery O'Connor's use of Sun Imagery...Anyhow, I found a particular aspect of this article relevant to the discussion we had earlier this week regarding the Life You Save, it reads as follows, "Like Christ, he is not satisfied by a mere ritual experience of the law." This statement was interesting to me because more than anything, including the theme of violence in the works of O'Connor, I see a recurring theme of that is similar to the "salt of the earth" qualm. This theme is that of O'Connor's desire to probe at her readers, to ask them "what do you believe, but more importantly, WHY do you believe it?" As a whole, O'Connor makes a point to avoid didacticism in her writing, but rather attempts to create an experience in which her characters EXPERIENCE situations in which they are forced to question their beliefs.
Works Cited
Stuart L. Burns
Twentieth Century Literature, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Oct., 1967), pp. 154-166
Published by: Hofstra University
The Artificial Nigger
W.F. Monroe, in the article "Flannery O'Connor's Sacrament Icon: The Artificial Nigger," argues that the intentional, and emotionally charged use of the term "nigger," "may be read as linking, in the character of Mr. Head, two seemingly disparate attitudes, two philosophies of life which are surprisingly similar in their mutual dependence on propositional truth." In effect, Monroe argues that this story "critiques the propositional and abstract propensities of both secular rationalism and iconoclastic Christian Fundamentalism." As O'Connor is rarely didactic in her writing, rather, she wishes her readers to experience something, the subject of her writing, in order to learn, she veers away from placing any rhetorical restrictions on the term "nigger." As such, the narrator of this story avoids the use of the term "nigger," although the two Heads use this word very frequently.
Another interesting point Monroe makes is as follows: Mr Head. states to his grandson, "The day is going to come...when you'll find you ain't as smart as you think you are." Monroe, in response to this statement says, "From our superior vantage point, that day should also come for Mr. Head, a day when his reasonableness will be recognized for what it is, pernicious racism..." In effect, Monroe argues that this day comes when Mr. Head stares in awe of the statue of the African-American boy. Monroe states, "As a means of revelation, the artificial Negro is both precise and appropriate. The two Heads...have been contending throughout the story, jockeying for position, attempting to attain a clear superiority, one over the other. Mr. Head has demonstrated his superior knowledge and scored his most telling points by stigmatizing blacks...To see himself as what he would call a "nigger," then, is a most dramatically effective way for O'Connor to demonstrate Mr. Head's beneficial humiliation, his recognition of his own radical insufficiency." (Monroe 70).
Works Cited
Flannery O'Connor's Sacramental Icon: "The Artificial Nigger"
W. F. Monroe
South Central Review, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Winter, 1984), pp. 64-81
Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press on behalf of The South Central Modern Language Association
Another interesting point Monroe makes is as follows: Mr Head. states to his grandson, "The day is going to come...when you'll find you ain't as smart as you think you are." Monroe, in response to this statement says, "From our superior vantage point, that day should also come for Mr. Head, a day when his reasonableness will be recognized for what it is, pernicious racism..." In effect, Monroe argues that this day comes when Mr. Head stares in awe of the statue of the African-American boy. Monroe states, "As a means of revelation, the artificial Negro is both precise and appropriate. The two Heads...have been contending throughout the story, jockeying for position, attempting to attain a clear superiority, one over the other. Mr. Head has demonstrated his superior knowledge and scored his most telling points by stigmatizing blacks...To see himself as what he would call a "nigger," then, is a most dramatically effective way for O'Connor to demonstrate Mr. Head's beneficial humiliation, his recognition of his own radical insufficiency." (Monroe 70).
Works Cited
Flannery O'Connor's Sacramental Icon: "The Artificial Nigger"
W. F. Monroe
South Central Review, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Winter, 1984), pp. 64-81
Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press on behalf of The South Central Modern Language Association
The Enduring Chill: Perceptions of Time as They Relate to Religious Beliefs
Background:
In his essay, “Forms of Time and Chronotope in the Novel,” Mikhail Bakhtin posits the idea that literature, like real historical time, creates both temporal and spatial relationships. This idea is referred to by the name chronotope, which translates literally as “time space.” Bakhtin asserts that perceptions of time-space depend upon the current, ruling literary and ideological assumptions. In the European ideology of Christianity, time is perceived as linear. ). In contrast to cyclical time, which views
nature as a temporal circle and death as an escape from time into a timeless eternity, linear time places emphasis on selfhood and personalized (rather than philosophical) conceptions of good and evil. The ability to perceive good and evil, as it pertains to the individual, allowed for the effects of moral choices to be seen as forces in linear time.
In response to Brad's post, I'm not sure whether or not Flannery O'Connor is relating Buddhism to the foreignness of the city, but it is very possible. I think that topic could be interesting to look at in relation to Said's essay "Orientalism." In this essay the occult and Oriental are contrasted. Essentially, Said argues that Orientalism occurs through repetitions of indirect experiences with the East. This theme, that of indirectness, is somewhat pertinent to the character of Asbury. Asbury seems to experience life indirectly, in that, his perceptions seem distorted from that which is occurs in reality. One example of this is Asbury's blame of his mother. In reality, his mother has done nothing to deserve Asbury's anger. Ultimately, Asbury's assumptions, rather than total submersion in the experience of reality causes his permanent illness.
In his essay, “Forms of Time and Chronotope in the Novel,” Mikhail Bakhtin posits the idea that literature, like real historical time, creates both temporal and spatial relationships. This idea is referred to by the name chronotope, which translates literally as “time space.” Bakhtin asserts that perceptions of time-space depend upon the current, ruling literary and ideological assumptions. In the European ideology of Christianity, time is perceived as linear. ). In contrast to cyclical time, which views
nature as a temporal circle and death as an escape from time into a timeless eternity, linear time places emphasis on selfhood and personalized (rather than philosophical) conceptions of good and evil. The ability to perceive good and evil, as it pertains to the individual, allowed for the effects of moral choices to be seen as forces in linear time.
In response to Brad's post, I'm not sure whether or not Flannery O'Connor is relating Buddhism to the foreignness of the city, but it is very possible. I think that topic could be interesting to look at in relation to Said's essay "Orientalism." In this essay the occult and Oriental are contrasted. Essentially, Said argues that Orientalism occurs through repetitions of indirect experiences with the East. This theme, that of indirectness, is somewhat pertinent to the character of Asbury. Asbury seems to experience life indirectly, in that, his perceptions seem distorted from that which is occurs in reality. One example of this is Asbury's blame of his mother. In reality, his mother has done nothing to deserve Asbury's anger. Ultimately, Asbury's assumptions, rather than total submersion in the experience of reality causes his permanent illness.
Magic: Judith Butler and Gender Trouble
Background:
Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble approaches gender from a postmodern perspective. Using bricolage, Butler dissects Freudian theory to assert that gender is more than just a social construct rather, gender is a performance. Likening the theory of gender performance to drag, Butler states that gender is instituted through a stylized repetition of acts. As such, gender, is a double inversion that reifies the illusion of appearance (Butler 2497). In turn, Butler’s theory lends itself to the exploration of the transient nature of gender identification and the consideration of the role of drag as it relates to the production of representations of both masculinity and femininity (Shail 1).
Butler argues that our perception of our interiority, of our soul, is not trapped within the boundaries of the body, rather, interiority is constructed by and through cultural inscriptions upon the corporeal body. In regards to the limitations of the corporeal body, Butler states, “the very contours of ‘the body’ are established through markings that seek to establish specific codes of cultural coherence” (2492). As “the body” is an outward entity, observable by society, it is subject to cultural inscription.
In turn, Porter's Magic can be viewed as a metaphor for gender confines. Metaphorically speaking, the "Fancy House" comes to represent the confines of patriarchy. Within these confines women serve the highly feminized position of subordination through sex. Moreover, when Nicolette runs away (an act of independence as well as one that directly rebels against patriarchy) she is forced to return by supernatural means (which can come to represent social constructs).
Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble approaches gender from a postmodern perspective. Using bricolage, Butler dissects Freudian theory to assert that gender is more than just a social construct rather, gender is a performance. Likening the theory of gender performance to drag, Butler states that gender is instituted through a stylized repetition of acts. As such, gender, is a double inversion that reifies the illusion of appearance (Butler 2497). In turn, Butler’s theory lends itself to the exploration of the transient nature of gender identification and the consideration of the role of drag as it relates to the production of representations of both masculinity and femininity (Shail 1).
Butler argues that our perception of our interiority, of our soul, is not trapped within the boundaries of the body, rather, interiority is constructed by and through cultural inscriptions upon the corporeal body. In regards to the limitations of the corporeal body, Butler states, “the very contours of ‘the body’ are established through markings that seek to establish specific codes of cultural coherence” (2492). As “the body” is an outward entity, observable by society, it is subject to cultural inscription.
In turn, Porter's Magic can be viewed as a metaphor for gender confines. Metaphorically speaking, the "Fancy House" comes to represent the confines of patriarchy. Within these confines women serve the highly feminized position of subordination through sex. Moreover, when Nicolette runs away (an act of independence as well as one that directly rebels against patriarchy) she is forced to return by supernatural means (which can come to represent social constructs).
The Enduring Chill - Take Two
Wow, what an appropriate day to be reading something called "The Enduring Chill" !
I am curious about the whole notion of Buddhism in this story. (I don't think we were able to talk about this the first go around, and I apologize if we did)
This is the first instance I can remember of O'Connor talking about a religion other than Christianity. Sure, she was Catholic, and we know she had a lot to say about Christian religions other than Catholicism, but what about religions other than Christianity? Can we tell anything about O'Connor's views through the words of her characters and her narrative voice, and is it wrong to even try?
Also, how does this Asian religion tie in to the big city? Is O'Connor making a statement on just how foreign and alienating the big city is by its incorporation of foreign Eastern religions?
Theft: Signifiers and Signified
Background on Saussure:
Signifier
The signifier is the pointing finger, the word, the sound-image.
A word is simply a jumble of letters. The pointing finger is not the star. It is in the interpretation of the signifier that meaning is created.
Signified
The signified is the concept, the meaning, the thing indicated by the signifier. It need not be a 'real object' but is some referent to which the signifier refers.
The thing signified is created in the perceiver and is internal to them. Whilst we share concepts, we do so via signifiers.
Whilst the signifier is more stable, the signified varies between people and contexts.
The signified does stabilize with habit, as the signifier cues thoughts and images.
The signifier in Theft is the purse. What it signifies is emptiness, age, and capitalism. In the final scene of Theft we see the main female fighting for ownership of the purse with the cleaning woman. In this scene, the cleaning woman realizes that the purse contains nothing--it has no intrinsic value. In turn, she tells the protagonist that the niece whom she was stealing the purse doesn't need it--she's beautiful and has her whole life ahead of her. After this scene, the protagonist also no longer wants the purse and sees the meaninglessness of the purse.
Signifier
The signifier is the pointing finger, the word, the sound-image.
A word is simply a jumble of letters. The pointing finger is not the star. It is in the interpretation of the signifier that meaning is created.
Signified
The signified is the concept, the meaning, the thing indicated by the signifier. It need not be a 'real object' but is some referent to which the signifier refers.
The thing signified is created in the perceiver and is internal to them. Whilst we share concepts, we do so via signifiers.
Whilst the signifier is more stable, the signified varies between people and contexts.
The signified does stabilize with habit, as the signifier cues thoughts and images.
The signifier in Theft is the purse. What it signifies is emptiness, age, and capitalism. In the final scene of Theft we see the main female fighting for ownership of the purse with the cleaning woman. In this scene, the cleaning woman realizes that the purse contains nothing--it has no intrinsic value. In turn, she tells the protagonist that the niece whom she was stealing the purse doesn't need it--she's beautiful and has her whole life ahead of her. After this scene, the protagonist also no longer wants the purse and sees the meaninglessness of the purse.
Asbury's Condescending Attitudes
I'm writing my paper on the way that O'Connor's characters view race relations. It is obvious that Asbury believes his intellect to be superior to everyone he knows. He insults the intelligence of his mother, his sister, and his late father's and he does'nt even seem to have any respect for Goetz or his other intellectual friends from New York. His project to "work in the dairy with [black people] and find out what their interests were" (551) to write a play about them was clearly an attempt to prove to the whole world that he was more accepting of other cultures than his mother. He is clearly too self-absorbed to realize that he is manipulating Randall and Morgan in order to appear that he has a familiar relationship with black people. Later, when Asbury thinks that he is on his death bed he invites them both to smoke cigarettes and it becomes apparent that he has made hardly any effort at all to understand them or know them. He attributes some sort of value to the act of relating to them, but I think that his feelings of superiority keep him from becoming close to anyone. Asbury's failure to befriend Randall and Morgan shows that his condescending attitude makes him the biggest fool of the story. The fact that he believes himself to be superior to everyone makes him unable to appreciate his mother, his sister, his father, or anybody else that he knows.
Revelations in Flowering Judas
I am interested in looking at religion and revelation in Flowering Judas. In this story, Laura, an American (who can be viewed in conjunction with the Miranda stories) teaches English to children, while running errands for leading members of the revolution. In a way, Laura is portrayed as being very nun-like. She is a lapsed Catholic and virgin, who conceals her large breasts beneath layers of confining fabrics. While Laura resists seductions from member leaders, she builds a relationship with a certain prisoner Eugenio. In the end, we discover that Eugenio kills himself with sleeping pills that Laura has provided.
In a dream that incorporates biblical references to the betrayal of Judas and works by T.S. Eliot and Dante, Laura's dream comes to signify her position as a betrayer. Not only is she betraying her country in several ways, but she is also betraying her friends. This revelation cause all her previous acts, which were perceived as benevolent and selfless, to be redefined as malicious, and self-centered. In a way, this revelation is reminiscent of the epiphany that occurs in O'Connor's revelation.
In a dream that incorporates biblical references to the betrayal of Judas and works by T.S. Eliot and Dante, Laura's dream comes to signify her position as a betrayer. Not only is she betraying her country in several ways, but she is also betraying her friends. This revelation cause all her previous acts, which were perceived as benevolent and selfless, to be redefined as malicious, and self-centered. In a way, this revelation is reminiscent of the epiphany that occurs in O'Connor's revelation.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The life you save
The idea of grace is a theme we see often in O'Connor's works, and yet in this peace it is more subtle in that our character is rejecting grace, and yet we also empathize with his decisions. Like many of her protagonists Mr. Shiftlet is confronted with his sin, and this moment provides out climax. In the case of "The Lame Shall Enter First" we have our climax about a page from the end, as to provide a proper resolution, same with "The River" But here in "T.L.Y.S.M.B.Y.O." the climax is at the very end, much like "The Artificial Nigger" and leaves the main character with a choice to change and accept grace or to choose their life of pride.
I have noticed that although each of O'Connor's pieces are very different and her characters are diverse, that her themes seem to almost run together, and are very Catholic-centric. Especially because her setting is extremely protestant in culture, I wonder if she is trying to convey that her "truth" prevails, and that God will speak to anyone in any situation?
I have noticed that although each of O'Connor's pieces are very different and her characters are diverse, that her themes seem to almost run together, and are very Catholic-centric. Especially because her setting is extremely protestant in culture, I wonder if she is trying to convey that her "truth" prevails, and that God will speak to anyone in any situation?
Holiday: where are you escaping to?
The idea of going on holiday is one to escape or take a break from unpleasantness and work, therefore I think it is interesting that in "Holiday" the families house is a sort of escape from reality in the desired vacation context: different language, hyper-feminine women, a plethora of food. However reality is put on hold in an almost grotesque manner with the enslavement, and sacrifice of the eldest Helga. It seems she needs to suffer and take on the burdens for the family to live happily, and one could draw the conclusion that she is a Christ like figure.
It is interesting that the narrative voice through this is not stronger, and does not seem to be particularly negative or positive, and there for the reader is placed more directly in the scenes and as we read we can experience the silences, and roaring dinners. The scenes therefor become more vivid and can't help but feel uncomfortable with the enslavement of Helga.
It is interesting that the narrative voice through this is not stronger, and does not seem to be particularly negative or positive, and there for the reader is placed more directly in the scenes and as we read we can experience the silences, and roaring dinners. The scenes therefor become more vivid and can't help but feel uncomfortable with the enslavement of Helga.
Ironic humor in The Life You Save...
In class, we discussed self-interest in "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" and the ironic humor of the sign bearing that message.
It is O'Connor's attempt at humor, I think, and also a view of human nature and motivation. If human nature was to be courteous and altruistic, then the sign would have said: "Slow Down: You Might Harm Other People." But that doesn't work. For the sake of this story at least, human nature is to act in your own self-interest.
So it is with every character in "The Life You Save..." Shiftlet is not in search of a wife. He's in search of a place to stay, a car and money. He takes a wife as a means to get those things. The senior Lucynell is not looking out for her daughter's best interests. She wants her daughter gone, and she pays off Shiftlet to take her away.
In the final two pages, I seriously doubt that Shiftlet pulls over to pick up a potential hitch-hiker with altruistic intentions. We never get that far, but I suspect it's yet another graft. Only the boy sees through this, tells Shiftlet off and gets out of the car. When Shiftlet bemoans the "slime," I wonder if he's simply referring to the people who aren't willing to play this game of give-and-take manipulation.
It is O'Connor's attempt at humor, I think, and also a view of human nature and motivation. If human nature was to be courteous and altruistic, then the sign would have said: "Slow Down: You Might Harm Other People." But that doesn't work. For the sake of this story at least, human nature is to act in your own self-interest.
So it is with every character in "The Life You Save..." Shiftlet is not in search of a wife. He's in search of a place to stay, a car and money. He takes a wife as a means to get those things. The senior Lucynell is not looking out for her daughter's best interests. She wants her daughter gone, and she pays off Shiftlet to take her away.
In the final two pages, I seriously doubt that Shiftlet pulls over to pick up a potential hitch-hiker with altruistic intentions. We never get that far, but I suspect it's yet another graft. Only the boy sees through this, tells Shiftlet off and gets out of the car. When Shiftlet bemoans the "slime," I wonder if he's simply referring to the people who aren't willing to play this game of give-and-take manipulation.
Life You Save
When re-reading this story, I was more concerned with the relationship between Lucynell and her mother. I thought that the fact that her mother was so determined to keep her daughter to herself, but she treats her daughter as an item that she can sell and bargain with. She eventually markets her daughter for a car and gives Shiftlet some more money for a "honeymoon". I just found it odd that she states how her daughter is such a good woman and she needs her but then she gives up all these beliefs and is offended when Shiftlet does not buy into her original offer. I find the whole trading her daughter off offensive, rather than allowing Lucynell to figure out her own situation she feel as if it is her motherly duty to find her someone to take care of her and give her the sense of a husband.
I also found the betrayl by the end of the story odd Shiftlet just ups and leaves her in the diner after she is described as being angelic by the buss boy. He also leaves her while she is sleeping which I find condemns him more he does not give her the chance to realize what he is doing before he vanishes. I just find the character of Shiftlet very shady and obuses the trust of the two women within this story. I think that may be a topic that O'Conner is portraying the fact of trusting someone and them betraying you and whether or not to trust them and who you can trust.
Which leds into what may be the purpose of Shiftlet and the hitchhiker and their conversation about mothers. Shiftlet first words to the boy are about his mother and how great she is but I find that really odd at first I was under the impression that he was talking about mothers because the boy is young and I thought that it was a way for Shiftlet to preach to the boy about being a hitchhiker. However, after reading it again I think that Shiftlet feels guilty about his betrayl of Lucynell not for her sake but for her mother's sake. Her mother had intursted him with her daughter and he discarded her like trash in the diner. I think that his remorse comes from something that occured between him and his mother and I think that is also the reason he agreed to take Lucynell in the first place.
I also found the betrayl by the end of the story odd Shiftlet just ups and leaves her in the diner after she is described as being angelic by the buss boy. He also leaves her while she is sleeping which I find condemns him more he does not give her the chance to realize what he is doing before he vanishes. I just find the character of Shiftlet very shady and obuses the trust of the two women within this story. I think that may be a topic that O'Conner is portraying the fact of trusting someone and them betraying you and whether or not to trust them and who you can trust.
Which leds into what may be the purpose of Shiftlet and the hitchhiker and their conversation about mothers. Shiftlet first words to the boy are about his mother and how great she is but I find that really odd at first I was under the impression that he was talking about mothers because the boy is young and I thought that it was a way for Shiftlet to preach to the boy about being a hitchhiker. However, after reading it again I think that Shiftlet feels guilty about his betrayl of Lucynell not for her sake but for her mother's sake. Her mother had intursted him with her daughter and he discarded her like trash in the diner. I think that his remorse comes from something that occured between him and his mother and I think that is also the reason he agreed to take Lucynell in the first place.
Second Glance at The Life You Save
I would argue the theme of this story is Mr. Shiftlet's desire to regain his masculinity. The first physical description we receive concerning Shiftlet comes directly after the old woman, Lucynell Sr., labels him a tramp. The first attribute she notices is his "left coat sleeve was folded up to show there as only half an arm in it" (172). The arm is a symbol of masculinity dating back to the time of Shakespeare, and for a man to lose his arm would be alluding to the loss of his manhood. He cannot protect; he cannot work well; he is a piece of a man. Mr. Shiftlett also has no money--men are supposed to be the providers--and no home. He speaks as though his heart, his spirituality and caring nature, is detached from him and incomprehensible, an entity that even doctors "don't know more about it than you or me" (174). Mr. Shiftlet believes he is "a man, even if he aint a whole one" because he has "moral intelligence" (176). Moral integrity and the spirit of a man, he believes embody the ideal man, not his anatomical traits. Really, I agree which such a definition. Physicality should not define character. However, it seems clear by the end of the story that Mr. Shiftlet cannot atone himself in either the moral and spirited version of masculinity or the physical. He lies, he abandons, he lives selfishly. He feels like he can still hold claim to his manhood because he feels connected--on a Freudian level--to his mother, but the hitchhiker quickly dispelled his lies. The car he fixes, the massive machinery so connected to masculinity, cannot recover the his lack of manhood. He leaves his wife, the symbol of completion in a man...Eve was created to complement Adam etc...He rejects the emotionless "heart" as an object never to be understood. He relies an his wildness because a "man's spirit means more to him than anything else" but he confused spirit with abandonment, with recklessness, with selfishness. Are we really surprised when the last description of Mr. Shiftlet is him him "very quickly stepping on the gas and with his stump sticking out the window" he runs away from commitment and from those who need him? Are we surprised he still is less than a man?
I also want to comment on the pun of his name, Mr. Shiftlet. If you reverse the order of the words, it reads: Mr. Let Shift. Shifting--as in shifting eyes, shifting circumstances--connotates the unstable, the undependable. Those attributes contrast the ideal man who is the head of the family and can be depended upon to care and feed his family.
I also want to comment on the pun of his name, Mr. Shiftlet. If you reverse the order of the words, it reads: Mr. Let Shift. Shifting--as in shifting eyes, shifting circumstances--connotates the unstable, the undependable. Those attributes contrast the ideal man who is the head of the family and can be depended upon to care and feed his family.
Humanity In "Holiday"
Just like in “He”, I am trying to find evidence of Ottilie’s humanness in “Holiday”. She is introduced in the story simply as “a crippled and badly deformed servant girl” (Porter 415). It is not until we are almost ¾ of the way through the short story that we learn she is in fact one of the Muller daughters.
The Mullers live on a farm in Texas, so their lives revolve around animals. Just like the Whipple family in “He”, the Mullers rely on their animals. Their way of life is provided for them by animals; their existence depends on their animals’ production. At the end of the short story, during mother Muller’s funeral, Ottilie is described as howling like a dog. She cannot express her true feelings and therefore she makes animal noises; this is all she knows how to do. Perhaps being around so many animals on the farm and these being the only creatures that show her compassion, these animals are what she relates to. And therefore she learns this howling from the dogs that surround her. Even though Ottilie howls she is still human. Upon showing the photo of herself as a child to the narrator, the narrator realizes that “she knew well that she had been Ottilie, with those steady legs and watching eyes, and she was Ottilie still within herself” (Porter 426). Ottilie is fully aware of what happened to her and her current circumstances in life. She is not stupid. She knows who she is and where she came from. Therefore, her daily chore of cooking for and serving a family who has disowned her must make her so much more miserable.
Her own family does not show her any form of recognition or gratitude for her contribution to the family. They treat her as they would a stranger off the street. To them she is the servant girl and nothing else. It must have been hard enough for Ottilie to go through whatever childhood accident she went through, but on top of that she now has to live day to day with a family that no longer appreciated her.
The Mullers live on a farm in Texas, so their lives revolve around animals. Just like the Whipple family in “He”, the Mullers rely on their animals. Their way of life is provided for them by animals; their existence depends on their animals’ production. At the end of the short story, during mother Muller’s funeral, Ottilie is described as howling like a dog. She cannot express her true feelings and therefore she makes animal noises; this is all she knows how to do. Perhaps being around so many animals on the farm and these being the only creatures that show her compassion, these animals are what she relates to. And therefore she learns this howling from the dogs that surround her. Even though Ottilie howls she is still human. Upon showing the photo of herself as a child to the narrator, the narrator realizes that “she knew well that she had been Ottilie, with those steady legs and watching eyes, and she was Ottilie still within herself” (Porter 426). Ottilie is fully aware of what happened to her and her current circumstances in life. She is not stupid. She knows who she is and where she came from. Therefore, her daily chore of cooking for and serving a family who has disowned her must make her so much more miserable.
Her own family does not show her any form of recognition or gratitude for her contribution to the family. They treat her as they would a stranger off the street. To them she is the servant girl and nothing else. It must have been hard enough for Ottilie to go through whatever childhood accident she went through, but on top of that she now has to live day to day with a family that no longer appreciated her.
Shiftlet Saves Everyone's Lives
First I'd like to say that I think Shiftlet's betrayel of Lucynell in the Life You Save Could Be Your Own was deplorable. However, I think that one way of reading this story is that he saved their family from its own tragic stasis. When I re-read this story what I noticed much was that their house and their family seemed to be stuck in time. The ages of Lucynell and the old woman are not given, and it seems as though their existence could not be properly measured in years because they have been stuck in one place for an indefinite amount of time. When Shiftlet shows up he builds and creates in a place that is barren and ruinous. By improving their living conditions he saves them from themselves. Whether or not things go smoothly for Lucynell after he leaves her in the diner is up for interpretation, but personally I think she's better off out in the wide world than wasting her life in the middle of the woods. The old woman certainly must be satisfied with the assurance that Lucynell finally went off on her own. And Shiftlet obviously has the freedom he wanted all along. All in all I think everyone was better off after Shiftlet's intervened to help them out.
The Live You Save...Discussion
So for today's discussion I'd like to touch upon the ideas that Brad and Austin both posted on...
Like Brad, during the first read I focused on Shiftlet's betrayal of Lucynell...and this time around the waiter really creeped me out. However...he spoke the truth when he described her as "an angel of gawd." She was wearing a white dress, and if you picture her laying there with her eyes closed...and, for me, that paints a picture of a stereotypical angel (without the wings of course.)
I wouldn't give Shiftlet so much credit, though...even though he got her some food and paid for it, he LEFT her there...with the inability to communicate, and worse, to find her way home. Before they run off on their honeymoon, Shiftlet expresses being upset "by the word 'milk'" (pg. 180.) BUT he does milk her in a sense...yes, he fixed up the car, and yes, he marries her daughter, but he takes the car and leaves his wife. I think he gives himself too much credit because of how much he did for them; he fixed up their house/yard and got the car to start running again.
The last 2 1/2 pages drive me nuts. Up until the hitchhiker gets into the car with Shiftlet, O'Connor gives us a story with a flow that makes perfect sense to the reader. Honestly, every time I read this, I have to reread the last 2 1/2 pages over and over again...Austin pointed out that his "mother" - "an angel of gawd" represents both Lucynells. But this last segment, where he argues with the hitchhiker, and basically commands rain to wash away the slime of the earth, makes me think that he's either psychotic or a religious figure...so which is it?
Like Brad, during the first read I focused on Shiftlet's betrayal of Lucynell...and this time around the waiter really creeped me out. However...he spoke the truth when he described her as "an angel of gawd." She was wearing a white dress, and if you picture her laying there with her eyes closed...and, for me, that paints a picture of a stereotypical angel (without the wings of course.)
I wouldn't give Shiftlet so much credit, though...even though he got her some food and paid for it, he LEFT her there...with the inability to communicate, and worse, to find her way home. Before they run off on their honeymoon, Shiftlet expresses being upset "by the word 'milk'" (pg. 180.) BUT he does milk her in a sense...yes, he fixed up the car, and yes, he marries her daughter, but he takes the car and leaves his wife. I think he gives himself too much credit because of how much he did for them; he fixed up their house/yard and got the car to start running again.
The last 2 1/2 pages drive me nuts. Up until the hitchhiker gets into the car with Shiftlet, O'Connor gives us a story with a flow that makes perfect sense to the reader. Honestly, every time I read this, I have to reread the last 2 1/2 pages over and over again...Austin pointed out that his "mother" - "an angel of gawd" represents both Lucynells. But this last segment, where he argues with the hitchhiker, and basically commands rain to wash away the slime of the earth, makes me think that he's either psychotic or a religious figure...so which is it?
The Life you Save... Take two
For the first read, toward the end of the story I concentrated on Mr. Shiftlet's abandonment of Lucynell. Upon re-reading, I am now thinking it is someone else who trumps his deviat behavior: the bus boy at the restaurant. As she is sleeping, he "[bends] over again and very carefully touched his finger to a strand of the golden hair..." on page 182, right after being struck by her angelic innocence. This gives me the shivers. I am reminded of the rapist that picks up young Tarwater in his car in The Violent...
As always, O'Connor is crafting very perplexing characters. Sure, Shiftlet does abandon her, but he does give some of the money to pay for her to be fed. He could have pocketed all that money. As I have said, for me upon second reading, this is greatly overshadowed by any sexual violation that may later occur at the hand of the restaurant boy. Of course, it is Shiftlet that does leave her, to be they prey of anyone from the open road.
This also complicates things when taking the title into account. The title implies agency. The mother Lucynell and Mr. Shiftlet are both able to take action to bring about their desired results. The daughter Lucynell on the other hand is the only character that cannot do anything to save herself. Sure, being abandoned is horrible, but she also is at the mercy of this creep in the restaurant. She cannot save her life or anybody else's.
As always, O'Connor is crafting very perplexing characters. Sure, Shiftlet does abandon her, but he does give some of the money to pay for her to be fed. He could have pocketed all that money. As I have said, for me upon second reading, this is greatly overshadowed by any sexual violation that may later occur at the hand of the restaurant boy. Of course, it is Shiftlet that does leave her, to be they prey of anyone from the open road.
This also complicates things when taking the title into account. The title implies agency. The mother Lucynell and Mr. Shiftlet are both able to take action to bring about their desired results. The daughter Lucynell on the other hand is the only character that cannot do anything to save herself. Sure, being abandoned is horrible, but she also is at the mercy of this creep in the restaurant. She cannot save her life or anybody else's.
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