Study Help
Essay Questions
1. Using specific examples from "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," discuss O'Connor's view of the family as she presents it in the story.
2. How are the values of the two main characters in "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" shown to be damaging to the persons who hold them?
3. What are the reasons for and the implications of Harry Ashfield's drowning in "The River"?
4. In what ways does O'Connor use the concept of history in "A Late Encounter with the Enemy"?
5. Discuss the effects of the fear of foreigners (xenophobia) as it influences the actions of the charactersin "The Displaced Person."
6. Discuss the initiation motif in "The Artificial Nigger." Do both characters undergo an initiation of sorts?
7. How are the implications of a "belief in nothing" handled in "Good Country People"?
8. Compare and contrast the characters of Julian in "Everything That Rises Must Converge" and Hulga in "Good Country People."
9. What is the significance of the title of "Everything That Rises Must Converge"?
10. In "Revelation," Ruby Turpin experiences a religious vision. How believable is this event as it is presented in the story?
11. Discuss O'Connor's use of the tattoo as a major symbol in "Parker's Back."
12. What does "Judgement Day" have to say about the proper relationships which should be developed between people?