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AGMIHTF By Flannery O Connor Analysis

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The structure of AGMIHTF by Flannery O'Connor is interesting and is a good place to start the discussion. It is divided into two different parts. The boundary between the first and second part is when the group has their accident. As this is the moment when the trip suddenly becomes extremely unpleasant, it is a significant event that creates a sharp difference in the tone and the mood of the story. In the first part, the focus is mainly on the family and the personalities of everyone in the family. In the first part, Flannery O'Connor builds a structure using archetypes so she can use them to deliver a powerful message in the second part.

In this story, the author's intent was to write a tragedy where an innocent character is tormented and then killed. The treatment of the grandmother in the early section of the story sets her up to this pattern. This comes about in many ways. Firstly, her being a "grandmother" immediately places her in the "innocent old lady" archetype - she does not wrong and loves everyone, but is fragile due to age and needs others to take care of her. The children insulting the grandmother's native state of Georgia adds to this effect - The grandmother is the victim of harm - minor harm here but it foreshadows major harm (death) soon to follow. The grandmother, being a grandmother, is powerless to stop the harm from befalling her. …show more content…

Racism is an example of massive harm befalling an innocent group. On their trip, they see a black person being mistreated and a plantation and cotton field - symbols of slavery. This imagery shows the prevalence of the "harm befalling the innocent" idea in society and the

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