The Cyclops Scene In Flannery OConnor's Good Country People

Unlike Alanis Morissette, Flannery O’Connor used irony in a much subtler fashion in her work. O’Conner’s unique use of literary tools is one reason she “is considered one of the best short story authors of the 20th century” (Biography.com ). O’Connor ‘s use of irony is especially evident in the short-story “Good Country People.” Equally important is O’Connor’s use of clichés. The typical cliché lacks any substance. Ironically, clichés expressed in “Good Country People” depict abstract ideas. O’Connor’s unique combination of clichés and irony forces readers discern deeper concepts within the text. However, the readers’ ability to grasp these concepts hinges on paying close attention to the character depictions of Mrs. Hopewell, Hulga Hopewell, and Manely Pointer.

For example, in the Great Gatsby, George and Mrytle live in a place called the Valley of Ashes which symbolizes that their marriage is dead which allows Gatsby to try and steal Mrytle away from George. Another use of symbolism in The Great Gatsby is associating the color white with Daisy throughout the book to show that she is pure and perfect in the mind of Gatsby which is caused by his blindness to see that she has parasitic tendencies.. The Jelly-Bean uses symbolism in a similar way by making Nancy represent false happiness in Jim's heart which eventually lead to him being heartbroken because he was blinded by the idea of how perfect he thought she was similar to Gatsby. When the two females are symbolized it helps further the theme by creating the concept of that they aren't just characters in a story but also lessons to be learned and retained after the story is over. Overall the use of symbolism sets up the possibility for the reader to further understand a certain characters impact on another either emotionally or

Symbolism in literature is using an object to portray a different, deeper meaning in a story. Symbols represent ideas or qualities that the author has maneuvered into his or her story that has meaning. There can be multiple symbols in a story or just one. It is up to the reader to interpret the meaning of the symbols and their significance to the story. While reading a story, symbols may not become clear until the very end, once the climax is over, and the falling action is covered. In William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily,” there are multiple examples of symbolism that occur throughout the story.

in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" Flannery O' Connor uses symbolism to give more meaning to her short story. O'Connor writes a story of a Grandmother versus a Misfit, or good versus evil. This short story is about a family going to Florida, who takes a turn down a dirt road, which only causes them to get in an accident, and be found by the Misfit. This encounter prevented them from ever arriving Florida, because the Misfit ends their lives. Using symbolism, O'Connor creates a story with much meaning to the Grandmother, nature, sky, woods, their surroundings, roads, and cars to portray the constant battle between good and evil.

Symbolism is a major literary device that helps people see a book through symbols that often have a deeper meaning. A symbol is used to explain something in a different way, using images, objects, etc. instead of just saying it in words. As you search for a deeper meaning in a work of art or literature it can help you understand the author’s intentions and the deeper significance of a work. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, symbols help reinforce the major themes of the book.

The story of The Cyclops Polyphemus was the most intriguing story in the first part for me. In the story, Odysseus and his crew ventured inside the home of a cyclop named Polyphemus, which was built inside of a cave. When Polyphemus came home, he found the crew and immediately killed and ate one of the men. As Polyphemus shut the door, Odysseus and his men were trapped inside the cave. During the next day, Odysseus and his men took a piece of timber from Polyphemus’ house and sharpened it. In the night, when Polyphemus returned home, Odysseus offered Polyphemus a cup of wine, who drank more and more until he passed out. Odysseus and his men retrieved the sharpened stake and stabbed Polyphemus’ eye. Hiding under a herd of sheep the next morning as they were shepherd out of the cave, Odysseus and his men escaped. My favorite part of the story is when Odysseus gives Polyphemus the wine that he planned to trade for their hospitality to get Polyphemus drunk and stab his eye. This shows the two-sided nature of wine, bringing delight to Polyphemus then great misfortune and could even be interpreted as the god Dionysus protecting Odysseus and his men. Also, that shows that even though they were powerful, the Greeks did not think of the Cyclops as very smart monsters. This story also demonstrates how terrifying the Cyclops could be to the people at the time because of their gigantic eyes and appetite for humans. Adding to the terror, the are extremely powerful and can

In the novel “How to Read Literature like a Professor” the author, Thomas Foster, analyzed and broke down many literary techniques and reoccurring themes in literature. One of the most widely used literary techniques as shown in the novel was Symbolism. Symbolism is heavily used in literature from precipitation and weather to politics, almost everything we read in literature is a form of symbolism.

Authors may use this item to tell the story with different items and by using symbolism many

The eight Greek evil thoughts is a moral code, which the ancient Greeks were to abide by, the evil thoughts were never to be explored in someone’s mind. The evil thoughts are a symbol of the ancient Greek culture and how things were done in that era. “The Cyclops” is an episode in the epic The Odyssey written by Homer, in which Odysseus and his men camp out in the cave of Polyphemus, a cyclops waiting for him to confront them. When he does, Odysseus tricks him into making himself vulnerable and Odysseus and his men attack him and puncture his eye, then use his sheep to make their way out of the cave. In the episode of “The Cyclops” Odysseus falls prey to several of the eight Greek evil thoughts, the main ones being kenodoxia (boasting), orge

Joy changes her name to Hulga in “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Conner in order to change her perception of herself, her conflict being her identity. During Joy’s contemplation, she encounter the name Hulga because “she had a vision of the name working like the ugly sweating Vulcan who stayed in the furnace and to whom...the goddess had to come when called” (664). Joy sympathizes for Vulcan because the god also has a physical deformity; and just like Vulcan who’s the god of fire and forge, she’s forging an identity for herself that can be stated “her highest creative act” (665). It can be interpreted that Joy has forgiven herself for her disability and sees her leg as her backbone when “her mother had not been able to turn her dust into Joy” but rather “she had been able to turn it herself into Hulga;” she accepts her own beauty and realizes she’s beautiful (665). If Vulcan can be married to Venus, then she can be accepted into her own crowd, as she once said, “If you want me, here I am—LIKE I AM” (664).

Even with all the annoyances from Mrs. Freeman, Mrs. Hopewell is willing to endure it because they were good country people to her. Hulga was a very quiet and troubled woman. Oliver Kate explains that, “Joy-Hulga's physical afflictions--her heart condition, her poor eyesight, and her artificial leg--symbolize her emotional, intellectual, and spiritual impairments.”(Kate 234) Due to Hulgas medical problems she could not enjoy many things in life, like teaching philosophy and interacting with others outside the house. She was very detached from other people. Hulga had to be like this to protect herself. The world can be a very cruel place, where they could of judged her because of her fake leg, glasses and heart issues. She was afraid and hand no trust for others outside of her house.

Joy-Hulga, who had grown cynical and cold as she grew up with only one leg and heart ailment, creates an image that she is smarter and better than the rest of the characters in the story. Her education and self-absorption seemed to instill this attitude in her to greater extent than if she hadn’t studied and read so much. Her weakness is the feeling of power she believed she gained from her studies. She refers to herself as a person who “sees

During his journeys Odysseus often makes the mistake of bragging to his enemies but learns that doing this gives his enemies a chance to seek revenge against him. After leaving Troy, Odysseus attacks the

The initial step in her metamorphosis occurs when, at the age of 21, she legally changes her name from Joy to Hulga. She openly admits that she chose the name, because it was the ugliest sounding name she could think of. She is quite sensitive about her wooden leg and her adopted name. To her, they are very personal matters and are important to her as psychological symbols. She seriously attributes special powers to her new name and the ugliness it represents. « Philosophically, to name a thing is to encompass it, to know it, to control it. To bestow a name indicates power, and to rename shows—biblically the special call of God. Abram became Abraham ; Jacob became Israel ; Simon became Peter. God summoned his prophets. Hulga summoned herself to a new life. Her renaming is a comic perversion of God’s practice, a self-call to a life of sterile intellectualism » (Feeley 25). Obviously, this new name cultivates her ugliness. « She had a vision of the name working like the ugly sweating Vulcan who stayed in the furnace and to whom presumably, the goddess had to come when called »

For my summative, I decided to modernize the Cyclops scene in Book Nine of The Odyssey. Specifically, I connected the scene to the planning and execution of a heist in the modern world. When I first read the scene in the novel, I noticed Odysseus’ thought process was similar to that of a robber. Odysseus’ actions outlined the basics of a heist: infiltration of a target (Odysseus’ sneaking into the Cyclops’ cave), acquisition of the desired goods (Sheep and cheese), and an escape (Odysseus’ escaping the cave). I used many of those details from The Odyssey in my short story.