EMAIL<\/a> | SYLLABUS<\/a> | POLICIES<\/a> | QUESTIONS<\/a> | PRESENTATIONS<\/a> | JOURNALS<\/a> | PAPER<\/a> | EXAM<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: see Journals page for details on keeping your journal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assigned: O’Connor, Flannery. \u201cThe Life You Save May Be Your Own\u201d (Norton Vol. E 437-44); \u201cGood Country People\u201d (Vol. E 445-58).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Life You Save May Be Your Own\u201d (Norton Vol. E 437-44)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. From 437-40 of \u201cThe Life You Save May Be Your Own,\u201d which is apparently set sometime during the 1940s (depending on how old that late-20s Ford was when it stopped running), what is the basic situation on the farm of Lucynell Crater when Tom Shiftlet makes his way there? How does he present himself to the elder Lucynell and try to establish rapport with her? To what extent is his self-presentation accurate \u2013 what does it reveal and what does it hide?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. From 440-43 of \u201cThe Life You Save May Be Your Own,\u201d what more is revealed about the elder Lucynell\u2019s motives with regard to her daughter, and what more do we learn about Tom Shiftlet\u2019s true nature and intentions? In responding to this combined question, try to draw as much as you can from the at times roundabout or indirect dialogue between the two characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. From 443-44 of \u201cThe Life You Save May Be Your Own,\u201d Tom Shiftlet abandons his new bride and makes his way towards Mobile Alabama, which would seem to have been his intention from at least the moment he married her. So he has tricked the elder Lucynell on the basis of her desire for a permanent son-in-law to help her on the farm. But I no doubt mentioned in class that the Catholic writer Flannery O\u2019Connor\u2019s stories often end with a twist, one that leaves the main character in a difficult state that nonetheless seems to open up a space for redemption. How does what happens to Tom Shiftlet from the time he picks up a young hitchhiker onwards perhaps fit this pattern? In responding, consider not only events but Tom\u2019s words and feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGood Country People\u201d (Vol. E 445-58)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. From 445-49 of \u201cGood Country People,\u201d the text\u2019s focus is mainly on the divorced farm-owner Mrs. Hopewell. What seem to be Mrs. Hopewell\u2019s main qualities? What is her relationship with her tenant Mrs. Freeman and with her own daughter Joy? Why, for example, is Mrs. Freeman supposedly \u201cgood country people\u201d (also explain what that term appears to mean at this point), and what accounts for the tense, frustration-laced relationship between mother and daughter Hopewell?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. From 445-49 of \u201cGood Country People,\u201d how does the text weave in Joy\u2019s own outlook and personality \u2013 for example, when and why did she change her name from Joy to Hulga, and what does she seem to think of her mother and the \u201cgood country people\u201d Mrs. Hopewell is always praising?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. From 449-54 of \u201cGood Country People,\u201d the visit of Manley Pointer the bible salesman is recounted, along with the visit\u2019s aftermath. How does this young man become an object of contention between the elder Mrs. Hopewell and her daughter Joy\/Hulga? During and after this first encounter, what desires and intentions regarding the young man does Joy\/Hulga reveal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. From 454-57 top of \u201cGood Country People,\u201d characterize the progress of Joy\/Hulga\u2019s arranged meeting with Manley Pointer. How does she imagine this meeting unfolding in advance? Then, during the actual meeting and conversation, what happens? What does she try to convince him of, and by what means? What is Manley himself interested in? Why does this interest of his both disturb and excite her?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. From 457-58 of \u201cGood Country People,\u201d Joy\/Hulga\u2019s apparent seductive triumph turns to unpleasant shock and dismay when Manley Pointer takes away her artificial limb and refuses to give it back. He also mocks her atheist rhetoric on top of that strange accomplishment. I mentioned in class that the Catholic writer Flannery O\u2019Connor\u2019s stories often end with a twist, one that leaves the main character in a difficult state that nonetheless seems to open up the possibility of deep insight and redemption. How does what happens to Joy\/Hulga at the hands of the devious, cynical bible salesman Manley Pointer correspond to this pattern? In responding, consider what Joy\/Hulga\u2019s wooden leg has meant to her, and what the taking away of it might mean. Consider, too, the connection between this artificial limb and the strong intellect in which she has prided herself as a mark of distinction amongst the country-dwellers she apparently despises.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" FLANNERY O’CONNOR QUESTIONS FOR E222 AMERICAN LITERATURE (CSUF)CSU FULLERTON, FALL 2014 Note: see Journals page for details on keeping your journal. Assigned: O’Connor, Flannery. \u201cThe Life You Save May Be Your Own\u201d (Norton Vol. E 437-44); \u201cGood Country People\u201d (Vol. E 445-58). \u201cThe Life You Save May Be Your Own\u201d (Norton Vol. E 437-44) 1. From […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"wf_page_folders":[11],"class_list":["post-801","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ajdrake.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ajdrake.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ajdrake.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ajdrake.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ajdrake.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=801"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ajdrake.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4730,"href":"https:\/\/www.ajdrake.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/801\/revisions\/4730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ajdrake.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"wf_page_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ajdrake.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_page_folders?post=801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}