Nora And The Old Woman

Two more pertinent points are made by the author, in regards to the grandmother, follow in quick succession; both allude to further yet-to-be seen gloom within the story. O’Connor writes of the grandmother “[s]he didn’t intend for the cat to be left alone in the house for three days because he would miss her too much and she was afraid he might brush against one of the gas burners and accidentally asphyxiate himself” (1043) and of the way she is dressed “[i]n case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady” (1043). These two observations are innocent enough on the surface but provide true intent on the foreshadowing that O’Connor uses throughout the story. It is these two devices, irony and foreshadowing, that I feel are prominent and important aspects of the story and are evidenced in my quest to decipher this story.

Chris' chair skidded back as he abruptly got to his feet. With two rapid footsteps he reached Mary Alice and putting an arm around her shoulders, he helped her walk

As stories are exchanged, a man named Douglas describes a story so horrible and terrifying, that he restrains from telling it. After much fuss from the crowd, Douglas agrees to tell the story, but it must first arrive by the post. Douglas explains that the details of the story came from Douglas’s sister’s governess, who he was in love with. After giving brief details of the governess, everyone agrees to return to the house on Thursday to listen to the story. On Thursday, everyone becomes impatient, anticipating the tale to come, until finally, the story arrives. As Douglas introduces the story, he tells of a young woman, who in search of work, seeks out an advertisement for the position of governess, taking care of two children, Miles and Flora, under the care of their uncle. The woman accepted the position of governess, due to seduction from the handsome uncle, but was never allowed to see him again. As the crowd takes in the details of the prologue, Douglas begins the story, in the perspective of the governess. The governess was traveling down a road in a buggy, thinking about her decision, when she arrives at the house. To her surprise, the house was wondrous, thinking to herself, “I remember as a most pleasant impression the broad,... bright flowers and the crunch of my wheels on the gravel and the

While researching this short story you complete a close reading you come to recognize the close details that come to expose a theme that is elusive and shows different parallels of what Grandma considers being a good man within different parts of the story. In order to bring further understanding I am going to give you a brief summary on the short story.

The reader is almost forced to look at the actions of the grandmother as being similar to that of a young child. There's not a quiet moment with her around and she never sits still. The reader tends to have a negative perception of the grandmother due to these personality traits. However, these traits are expressed in a comical way causing the reader to be annoyed by the grandmother, but also entertained.

Even though we can surmise from the reading the grandmother’s family is being murdered just feet away from her, the author’s use of grotesque characterization makes it difficult to be sympathetic to the grandmother (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012). When the grandmother “raised her head like a parched old turkey hen” it is difficult to sympathize due to this dehumanizing characterization (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012, p. 308). A picture is painted so vividly the reader can almost visualize the grandmother as a cartoon character shrieking as she called out in desperation for her “Bailey Boy” (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012, p.

The character grandmother in O’Connor’s story has grounds the reality of the events and drives the family into tragedy. She is a central character in O’Connor’s story and is depicted to be a dynamic character stuck in the old ways. Through her actions and the idea of being stuck in the old ways of thinking, she leads her family into tragedy. Being the main character in the story, Grandmother significantly adds to the development of the plot. The author manages to win the attention of the reader from this character owing to the manner in which she shapes the storyline. Grandmother’s reminiscing of the old ways claims a distinctive curiosity from the reader and helps in

"Oh look at the little picinanny" the grandmother exclaims, referring to a Negro child she sees as they are driving. She offers to tell the disorderly children a story if they will be quiet. She tells a them a story, in a dramatic fashion, about a man who she had once been courted by that she believed she

Panic gripped the grandmother when she realized she knew who the Misfit was, and that she was going to die. Her persuasion tactics were not as cunning as Marion’s, but she tried her best to point out her importance as a lady and complimented him, “You don't look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people!”(O’Connor). The grandmother begged for her own life to be saved, but didn’t mention the rest of her family members besides yelling, "Bailey Boy!"(O’Connor) pathetically after her son. Terror brought out the grandmother’s persuasiveness and the use of mystery and suspense heightened the characters’

Throughout the first few paragraphs, Dobson builds up a setting that displays the persona’s inner turmoil of the filial and maternal responsibility that overwhelms her, using words that depict isolation, highlighting the hesitancy and hardship that she experiences. This offers a new, and confrontational understanding that is quite paradoxical to her probable original views of motherhood, and thus, has lead to a renewed insight of the maternal obligations and duties that she finds at times restrictive and confining. She feels an ephemeral sense of release when she has time alone, stating that the ‘night absolved me of my bonds,’ although she has an epiphanic discovery where which she changes her perspective on motherhood. The persona discovers a familial love that ‘grows about the bone,’ Dobson using a metaphor to show the new understanding and connection that the mother feels towards her family members. This is contrasted though to her original desire for liberation, as she wanted to be ‘separate and alone,’ showing the persona’s sense of confusion and inner struggle.

The first characteristic of the Grandmother, in this story, is that she obtains everything what she wants. At the beginnings the reader can appreciate that she does not desire to go to Florida because she has family in Tennessee. She always tries to see the scene to her favor or her way when there is something against of her. Also, O’Connor creates an astute grandmother. An

The grandmother is a good person on the surface—at least the community thinks so—but she is also ‘mean.’ She forces her family to obey her; she sees them as an extension of herself; and she seizes ‘every chance to change’ reality. Because she convinces her son to turn the car toward the house with the ‘secret panel,’ causing the family to meet The Misfit, she seals everyone’s death. She tries to adopt the Misfit, giving him well-meaning advice and false love. (21)

O’Connor’s characterization of the grandmother serves to form conflicting ideas of what a “good man” is. The grandmother talks plenty concerning the past and the way in her time folks may leave their

“Hey, Mama,” he quietly said, kissing her on the forehead as he passed her in her rocking chair.

Nora was Torvald’s perfect wife and ideally because of her obedience and her need for him. It is known back in the time period of a Doll’s House of a woman was to be an ideal wife for her husband and children and the center of religion. However, Nora’s need for her husband financially it is shown in “Nora: You going give me money, Torvald. No more than you think you can spare; then one of these days I’ll buy something with it” (Ibsen 1656). Her need for money is shown her and the one who makes it is her husband in the previous scene in the movie Doll’s House of her dancing and making very silly trick so her husband could give her money. Throughout the story there is Anne Marie and the maid in the house so, this means Nora does not cook,