Behind Grandma's House

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.

"…It wasn't just the war that made him what he was. That's too easy. It was everything – his whole nature…" – Eleanor K. Wade

“They were ashamed because they had treated the old grandfather so meanly…,” the parents were in the Russian folktale ”The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson” retold by Leo Tolstoy. “...asking who loves him who loves him who?” questioned Abuelito in the poem “Abuelito Who” by Sandra Cisnero. The folktale “The Old Grandfather...” is about how the parents treated the grandfather meanly and influenced the grandson. The poem “Abuelito Who” is about how Abuelito formed a very bonding relationship with the author (Sandra Cisneros) and how the author remembers exactly how he was like before he got old and is always stuck in his room. In “Abuelito Who” and “The Old Grandfather...” the pivotal theme is one should always respect their elders.

O’Connor describes the children’s mother in contrast to the grandmother by what they are wearing; thus their clothes represent the age from which they are. The Children’s mother “still had on slacks and still had her head tied up in a green kerchief, but the grandmother had on navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white dot in the print”(O’Connor 118). The children’s mother is representative of the New South in which the Southern Lady is becoming less of a central figure within society. A lady of the old south would never wear slacks and tie her hair up in a kerchief to go out in public. Under an old south mentality these actions would be considered very unlady like. O’Connor illustrates the tension between the old and the new south by the constant struggle between the grandmother, her son, and the daughter-in-law.

Both incidents are prime examples that show the grandmother?s behavior. We see that the grandmother is selfish and uncaring. She claims that she is a "good" person, yet she criticizes everyone and always wants to get her way. She hides the cat and lies about it to her son; she did not consider how anyone would feel about her bringing the cat. Yet, on the other hand she is very concerned with social opinion. She is dressed nicely, her excuse is that "in case of an accident anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know that she was a lady" (O?Connor 907). This shows that the grandmother was very concerned with people?s opinion. She acted proper, had strong virtues, values; a good woman in her view. But she was a self- centered person who judged others harshly, so that she would look good.

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.

There is an apparent unity seen between the old man and the older waiter. Opposite from the young waiter, the older waiter and old man seem devastatingly lonely and worn out by life. While the young waiter is rude and insistently talks down to the old man, the older waiter defends him. He too understands and appreciates a clean, well-lighted café opposed to a bar or bodega. The older men understand each other without there being any communication between them. In the final line the reader is able to truly understand the older waiters view of his own morality, “He disliked bars and bodegas. A clean, well-lighted café was a very different thing. Now, without thinking further, he went home to his room. He would lie in the bed and finally,

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

She writes “The One Girl at the Boy’s Party” as a representation of reaching the full potential and understand the power and beauty of an individual's mind. Having an alcoholic father that often would use cruel and unfair punishments, left Olds and her family afraid to express themselves. As Olds neared adolescence she joined a church choir, where she would find a new passion to pursue. She fell in love with sonnets and poetry, her favorite book was composed of hymns and passages. As she furthered her education she became passionate about writing free verses. In this free verse poem she discusses the theme of aging and maturing. Due to the fact that she did not experience a ¨normal” childhood, she writes to inform the reader that it is okay to want to be older and to essentially grow up. She tells the story from a mother’s perspective, allowing the reader to see it from different point of view. The mother is scared and nervous for her daughter, but we cannot stop time, everyone

The other reading of the story might be based on the maturing of a young woman. As it is probably the most important period in every adolescent's life, when they keep searching for their own identity, it should by strongly influenced by their parents. If it is not, a teenager starts looking for directions outside their home, and sometimes has difficulties with distinguishing what is good and evil. They are very often affected by

In conclusion, the two speakers have common feelings and morals that have changed as they have aged. The granddaughter who once was her grandmother's secured possession and learned about the faith that her grandmother had taught her changed when she got into the real world. Likewise, the son who never realized that his father worked hard to provide his family comfort changed him as he became more mature, this leads him to realize that he made a mistake by not thanking his father. Overall both of the speaker's morals and feelings change as they grow up and realize the change they are going through and the regrets both have from not being able to tell their loved ones of what they have learned.

O'Connor’s incorporation of tone allows the reader to understand that the feelings made by the environment and characters are important to the theme of the story due to its effect specifically on the grandmother. At the beginning of the story when the family invites the grandmother on a road trip to Florida, she begins to complain stating that “the children have been to Florida before... You all ought to take them somewhere else for a change so they would see different parts of the world and be broad” (O’Connor 501 ). This tone from the grandmother can be portrayed as bossy and authoritative even though she attempts to disguise it with an excuse of bettering her grandchildren even though the family did not have to invite her on the trip. The

“At the Dark End of the Street,” is a novel that takes back to the terrifying experience Recy Taylor had in Abbeville, Alabama. Taylor was gang-raped by six white men in the 1940s. This scene immediately shows readers the civil rights movement during the 20th century and how important it was in understanding what was happening. Danielle McGuire is the author of “At the Dark End of the Street,” which was published in 2010. However, “This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed,” is a novel that focuses on King’s protection during the Montgomery bus boycott that took place in Montgomery, Alabama. Charles E. Cobb is the author of “This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed,” and was published in 2014. Both of these novels focus their points on different and similar aspects of the civil rights movement. When Cobb wrote “This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed,” he focuses on the protection African Americans needed in order to not get killed completing everyday tasks, like going grocery shopping. Even on public transportation, civil rights activist felt threatened to the point of bringing weapons and concealing them on their personnel. Even though both novels take place during different times of the Civil Rights Movement they both show the similar hardships important figures played during this movement.

A literal interpretation of the grandmother portrays an elderly southern woman attempting to maintain the proper and genteel values of the South. The grandmother places great importance on her appearance and the opinions of others. This importance is revealed at the beginning of their journey when the story compares the grandmother, a reflection of the past, to the daughter-in-law, a reflection of the present:

Can you hear dreadful sounds coming out of your garage? Is it true that your garage door wake you up when used?