Southern Gothic Research Paper

In the 19th century, the Southern Gothic genre quickly became popular after Edgar Allen Poe poems in the 18th century. Most writings were formed around the Civil War era, which plays an enormous part in the tone and setting in Southern Gothic writing styles. (O’Connell 63) Southern Gothic writing elements consist of “horror, romance and psychological and domestic dramas” (63). The setting of Southern Gothic was always dingy and dark which explains the tone of most southern states at this time. Southern Gothic writing styles were known to be grotesque, violent and gloomy with dark psychological twists that were to be carried on into the 20th century. There can also be other ways to exercise Southern Gothic styles like including strange events, paranormal elements and representing history in an almost comical approach. (63) There are some authors who have written very influential Southern Gothic style literature, such as A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, A Good Man is Hard to Find and Good Country People by Flannery O’Conner.

Southern Gothic literature, which is a sub-genre of the Gothic writing style, is unique to the American South. Southern Gothic literature has many of the same aspects as Gothic literature; it focuses on topics such as death, madness, and the super natural as well has having many mystical, bizarre, violent, and grotesque aspects. These tools are used "to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the American South (Wikipedia)."

In both stories, Grandma and Emily are accustomed to getting what they want and when they can not try to hide the truth. For example: in "A Rose for Emily", Emily, was a spoiled over protected person who would literally kill to ensure she gets her way. She doesn't like the idea of being alone. When she is almost deserted by the man she loves, she murders him. She wanted that Homer Barron stayed with her forever until after the death. In "A Good Man Is Hard to Find", the grandmother does whatever it takes to not go to Florida because she's got relatives to see in Tennessee since from the beginning of the story she did not want to go on a trip and then wanted this trip to be as she wanted. She wants to convince her son

In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” and Flannery O’Connor’s “A good man is hard to find,” both authors present main characters who are contrasting to the people in their society. In Faulkner’s work, Emily Grierson is an outsider because she hides herself from the people in town for more than thirty years. They have no clue that she has kept homers body in her home for so long until the day she dies. Also, in O’Connor’s work, the grandmother describes herself as a Pure, good woman but her actions contradict her by proving she’s manipulative and evil. In this way, both characters are outsiders by choosing not to show their true identities to their respective societies.

In contrast, in A Good Man Is Hard to Find, the grandmother depicts being a lady, but in A Rose for Emily, Emily neglected the characteristics of being a lady all together. For example, in A Rose for Emily, Emily does not clean the house which was stated “It smelled of dust and disuse- a close, dank smell” (79). However, in A Good Man Is Hard to Find, the grandmother had specific thoughts of how to be a lady saying that “Her collars and cuffs were white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet. In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady” (187). Also in A Good Man Is Hard to Find, while she is with the Misfit trying to save her life, she gives different reasons for her to live, asking if he prays to Jesus, when she is praying to Jesus herself, but her first point was “You wouldn’t shoot a lady, would you? (192)”. This indicates that she cares very much for image whereas Emily didn’t care at all, in fact she never really came out of her house. In this

Emily was obsessed with holding on to the past and to avoid change. When her father dies she is really sad. She then meets a man named Homer Barron. She is afraid she will lose him too because he is not the kind of guy to settle down. So if she kills him she could at least still be able to see him after he is dead because she will keep his dead body in her house. By her keeping the body in the house it shows she had a hard time of letting go. Emily kills because of her extreme love.

Both the stories present major ideas through symbolism. Faulkner uses particular objects to link the tales with his metaphorical meaning. ¡§A Rose for Emily¡¨ does not explicitly involve a rose. Faulkner notes the rose only twice, in the title and the third paragraph from the last, ¡§¡Kthis room decked and furnished as for a bridal: upon the valance curtains of faded rose color, upon the rose-shaded lights¡K¡¨ (¡§A Rose for Emily, 129). But the significant symbolic meaning of the rose strongly affects the readers¡¦ perception of Miss Emily. It stirs the readers to sympathize with Miss Emily. Rose stands for true love, expectation and the most resplendent period of life. Miss Emily adorns her room as a bridal chamber in rose color, representing a woman who yearns for true love and dreams of a fairyland where she and her beloved can stay together forever. For years, Miss Emily¡¦s father drove away all the young men who want to date with her. Her father thwarted her to experiencing love. In her dreary existence, Homer Barron is the only bright spot, one ¡§rose¡¨. Like a wilted rose, she keeps his body, forever. It reminds her of the joy she once had in her otherwise empty

Southern gothic is a type of literature that focuses on the harsh conflicts of violence and racism, which is observed in the perspective of black and white individuals. Some of the most familiar southern authors are William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, and Cormac McCarthy. One author in particular, Flannery O’Connor, is a remarkable author, who directly reflects upon southern grotesque within her two short stories, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and “Revelation.” These two short stories are very similar to each other, which is why I believe that O’Connor often writes with violent characters to expose real violence in the world while tying them in with a particular spiritual insight.

The first similarity between Emily and the Grandmother, characters from different stories, is both want to control everything around her. At the beginning, the reader can appreciate in A Good Man is Hard to Find, that the Grandmother does not desire to go to Florida because she has family in Tennessee. She always tries to see the scene in her favor or her way when there is something against of her. An example of how she wants to maintain the control is when she tries to convince to Bailey does not go to Florida saying: “Just you read it. I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn’t answer to my conscience if I did.”(O’Connor 340). She just wants to intimidate to Bailey with crime

Southern Gothic literature has rooted itself in American culture and created several classic short stories that have pushed literary boundaries and minds. Among the most influential of these Southern Gothic stories is “A Rose for Emily”, by William Faulkner; “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, and “Good Country People”, both by Flannery O’Connor. After first discussing what characteristics make up the genre of Southern Gothic, each of these stories will be evaluated and discussed in terms of what makes each of them a prime example of Southern Gothic literature.

“A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Good Country People” are two of many short stories by Flannery O’Connor. In addition, the two stories enfold a mystery ending in catastrophe. O’Connor uses plenty of irony or subtle kind of sarcasm in developing each of the stories. Coincidentally, “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” and “Good Country People” are both set in the South during the earlier years, when segregation was an issue and trust was not. “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Good Country People” are two ironically twisted tales of how two different families lives are altered after trusting and being mislead by a stranger.

Though the short stories “A Rose for Emily” and “A Good Man is Hard to Find” differ in plot, theme, voice, and many other aspects, both contain similar characters and settings. The authors of these highly acclaimed Southern Gothic works, have skillfully and eloquently created intricate characters and imagery that portray many elements of Southern life. Flannery O’Connor’s, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” tells of the tragic events that take place during a family’s road trip to Tennessee, which ultimately ends in their unsightly demise at the hands of a notorious

Throughout the course of history, literature has gone through considerable changes. Dating back to its humble beginnings in folklore, fables, and storytelling all the way up to the scientific books and dramatic novels of today. Literature is arguably the centerpiece of all mankind. It is useful for record keeping, education, and bringing cultures and societies together. It has allowed us to expand our minds by painting a picture of the beautiful places this world has to offer outside of our corners of the earth. One genre of literature I find especially intriguing is Southern Gothic Literature. It is a subclass of gothic fiction, specifically set

First, to begin by discussing what Southern Gothic is. “Southern Gothic is a mode or genre prevalent in literature from the early 19th century to this day. Characteristics of Southern Gothic include the presence of irrational, horrific, and transgressive thoughts, desires, and impulses; grotesque characters; dark, humor, and overall angst-ridden sense of alliteration” (Bjerre). Faulkner is widely known for his grotesque descriptions of Yoknapatawpha County and character description.

Why are grotesque characters so popular in the Modernist movement and the Southern Gothic movement? In Southern Gothic literature grotesque characters are used to portray deeply flawed characters. Grotesque characters allow a talented writer to exaggerate their writing making it longer and believing it made their writing better. Grotesque characters can also help with unpleasant aspects within society without making it to church-like. McCullers used grotesque characters to bring about the truths of the human society. In the Modernist movement grotesque characters were used to describe the aberration from ideal form, it helped to create misshapen, ugly, or formless characters. In Modernism they are characterized by the qualities they lack such as fixity, stability, order, and sometimes even sanity. Writers in this period used grotesque characters to shape the history, practice, and theories in the nineteenth and twentieth century’s.