Introduction
The use of literary elements in literature enables a writer or author to develop a powerful story for his or her audience (Martinez & Harmon, 2012) . Different authors use various literary elements to help their audience to evaluate their works critically and realize what they mean to convey. Literary analysis encourages students to think critically about why and how a piece of literature was written (Netolicky, 2016) . Flannery O’Connor has written a timeless piece of literature through his short stories, for instance, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” “The River,” and “Good Country People,” among others. In this essay, the article argues that the author has written a timeless piece of literature through the stories, particularly “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. The essay uses three literary elements to prove this position.
A. Symbolism refers to the use of objects or words and descriptions with particular meanings that are different from their original meaning or function (Roane State, n.d). O’Connor uses symbolism supported by metaphors and allusion in his stories.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
I. A Good Man is Hard to Find
a. In the “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the author uses eyes to indicate the mindset of a character, for instance, Grandmother’s eyes are bright when she listens to “The Tennessee Waltz” on the jukebox (O’Connor, n.d). He describes Bailey’s eyes as “blue and intense” in his effort to argue with the Misfit before he is killed in the woods.
b. The Mother and June Star’s eyes are described as “glassy” when they hear the gunshots and after killing the Grandmother, The Misfit’s eyes were “red-rimmed, pale and defenseless”
II. The River
a . The sky is symbolic in the story for it represents the acceptance of faith. As Bevel preaches
while in the river, his eyes follow two birds that eventually perch on the highest pine with the support of the sky.
B. Imagery denotes to mental pictures that a reader forms while reading a story ( Netolicky, 2016) . O’Connor stories are full of imagery.
I. The Good Country People
a. The “Good Country People” offers mental pictures as one creates the image of a poor boy,
Manley, who carries the heart of Mrs. Hopewell, who invites him for dinner when he comes to sell Bibles.
b. The description of Hulga, the number of years she is supposed to live, and the lack of interest
by her mother gives mental pictures of a girl who has never witnessed love, even a kiss as she is offered by the poor boy, Manley.
c. The narration about Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hopewell in the kitchen, their relationships and
interactions offers mental pictures of people who do not trust one another. For instance, Mrs. Hopewell considers Mrs. Freeman as nosy.
II. A Good Man is Hard to Find
a. The description of the murder of the entire family by The Misfit is horrific. One can only take
a breather as the shots to end their lives are fired in the woods by The Misfit’s sidekicks.
C. Character refers to the representation of people, places or things that carry out normal human
Activities (Roane, n.d).
I. A Good Man is Hard to Find
a. The depiction of The Misfit underscores the title of the story. He is never good and even
implored, he cannot change his mind. The Grandmother and Red Sammy Butts represent the good people as they discuss how it is difficult to trust anyone today.
D. However, one may argue that O’ Connor has not used these literary devices in his stories, especially in “A Good Man is Hard to Find”
i. Characterization of The Grandmother and The Misfit arguing as she uses Biblical verses does not convince the reader that the story is true.
References
Martinez, M., & Harmon, J. M. (2012). Picture/Text relationships: an investigation of literary
elements in picturebooks. Literacy Research and Instruction , 51 (4), 323-343.
Roane State Community College (n.d). Literary Analysis: Using Elements of Literature.
Accessed on October 5, 2016 from https://www.roanestate.edu/owl/elementslit.html
Netolicky, D. (2016). Using literary metaphor and characters as structural and symbolic tools.
Narrative Inquiry , Vol. 25 , No.2, pp.264-282.
