The Life and Works of Flannery O'Connor Quiz

Answer: Southern Gothic

The Southern Gothic writing style tries to avoid Antebellum stereotypes and, instead, utilizes Gothic characteristics in more modern personas. The purpose of writing such characters is typically political, evoking reasoning through association.

While not all Southern Gothic writers were solely equal rights movements-oriented, their work often reflected a distaste for those who were against such movements, and their stories shared these views. The "bad" characters were often racist, misogynist, or shared other negative aspects of Southern culture, and these behaviors were highlighted as such.

Answer: Roman Catholic

As a Catholic in a mostly Protestant South, O'Connor found it necessary to keep her religious beliefs close and to share them through her work. She didn't outright preach Christian ideals in her work and, instead, took a more literary approach. Her characters and their trials taught morals that weren't directly obvious, and one needed to think about her stories to procure the ultimate ideas behind them.

O'Connor believed that telling someone such and such belief was correct wasn't an appropriate way of sharing faith. She believed that one must question life and faith in order to get a true understanding. Those with a blind faith who condemned others were no better than those they condemned.

Answer: All of these.

It was well known that O'Connor did not appreciate when scholars would try to put explanations about her story into her intended meanings. She often defended her works with lengthy writings and when an idea was misread, she would vigorously deny any claims.

Answer: True

The news clip was shown around the country, and it gave O'Connor one small moment of fame. When discussing the event later in life, she said it was "the most exciting thing that ever happened to me. It's all been downhill from there."

Answer: Wise Blood

In the novel, Hazel Motes runs away from religion and condemns Protestant ministers and their methods of preaching. Many have theorized that O'Connor attempted to reproach Protestantism due to the fact that she was a Catholic, but other scholars have defended her saying that the story is less politically charged than spiritually.

Answer: Grotesque

Often the majority of her characters are so flawed, that it is considered an unreasonable and shallow literary technique. However, O'Connor often utilized her characters for maximum effect. For example, there are several instances of her characters reaching a life-changing epiphany, but through moments close to death or injury.

O'Connor believed that true character could not be found unless one was close to death. This can be seen in the short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find", when the grandmother finds a sort of salvation before she is shot to death on the side of a road.

Answer: The Misfit

The Misfit, as the name suggests, is a misfit of society who escaped from prison and killed all he came up against. When the family crashes and encounters The Misfit, they are summarily executed two-by-two. The grandmother, considered the main character of the story, pleads effortlessly with The Misfit, but he has no mercy.

After he helps her discover a true salvation, she tries to touch him in a Christian manner. He then shoots her in the chest three times. "It's no real pleasure in life," he says, commenting that killing them was something he considered necessary and at the same time insinuating that life is not pleasant for those of his kind.

Answer: Hills Like White Elephants

"Hills Like White Elephants" was written by Ernest Hemingway.

"Good Country People" (1955) appears in "A Good Man is Hard to Find". "Everything that Must Converge" (1965) appears in a collection of the same name. "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" was published in 1953.

Answer: lupus

During the several years she had been diagnosed with lupus, O'Connor wrote several pieces. She retreated to her ancestral home, a hermit, and raised the birds she so admired. She died in 1964.

Answer: Brad Vice

Brad Vice allegedly plagiarized from Carl Carmer's book, "Stars Fell on Alabama". Many dispute this fact and Vice says his book was an obvious tribute to the non-fiction work. Unfortunately, Vice didn't cite the older work and the University of Georgia Press stopped the printing of his book and even destroyed all copies that were printed.