Reflection on Flannery O'Connor

After reading Flannery O’Connor’s stories and the critical readings, there are many evident examples in her writing of social upbringing. One of the things that stuck out for me the most was the issue of race. All of her stories contain a very distinct view on Black people, and she is not afraid to graphically describe how she feels about them. I realize that in the olden days a word like “Nigger” was more tolerated, but the extent that she discriminates against Black people is directly related to her being a Southerner. Race is, and has always been, a huge issue in the South. White Southerners are generally brought up to agree with their parents beliefs, which back then, were very one race dominated. I am from Canada, which is a very multicultural country. Although in the olden days I’m sure race was an issue still, when I listen to my grandmother or great-grandparents talk, they believe that race was not that important. After reading three of her stories, there were strong examples of racist thinking in all of them. I felt very uncomfortable reading them because I was brought up in a way to accept everyone as equals. As an outsider, it seems much different here in the South. There is an obvious split between races that is evident in almost every situation. Because O’Connor is a Southerner, her stories seem to revolve around race, and involve race, when I didn’t see that it was necessary. This may repel some audiences, and in some cases may attract them. I can see other Southerners who were raised the same way to enjoy what she writes, and understand where she is coming from. On the other hand, when I was reading these stories, especially “Revelation”, I felt completely uncomfortable and wanted to stop reading. I could see other people who were raised the same as I was to feel this was too, and that will also impact the way people feel about O’Connor and her stories. Overall, I think Southerners would appreciate her writing much more than non-Southerners because they can relate better.