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Family Values In Southern Gothic Literature

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Southern gothic literature is a method of writing that deals with problems in society that can be influenced by family values or disturbing lives. In the three texts To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Life You Save May Be Your Own by Flannery O’Connor, and The Flowers by Alice Walker they are revolved around southern gothic literature. In these texts there is a strong emphasis on familial values in the southern gothic literature because all the problems faced in the texts are caused by family values. All three of these texts are based in the south where there is many different views on cultures and race which southern gothic literature strives on. In To Kill a Mockingbird there is several examples of how family values impact the story and the way characters develop. One of the main family values in the story is how the Finches view race; since they live in Alabama during the 1940s there is a lot of racism and the father is defending an african american in a rape case where many people believe that he should automatically be hung. An example of different values is “My folks said your daddy is a disgrace an’ that nigger should hang” …show more content…

These examples show different believes that these characters have based on family values. These family values affect the outcome of the story because the characters do what they believe in which causes different events to happen. There are also different family values in the text The Flowers where Myop the main character is taught to be innocent to the different events in the world. This changes the outcome of the story because when she finds a dead man she loses her innocence and changes her view on life. This shows how family values can make or break a family based on events that happen in the

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