The “Single Individual” In Flannery O’connor’s Novels

Flannery O’Connor(1925-1964), a contemporary American woman writer, is regarded as one of the most brilliant writers in the history of American literature. She has composed many excellent stories in her short life. They are famous for thick religious themes, grotesque Gothic style as well as their Southern features. And she dedicates herself to constructing a special way of religious redemption in her novels. Since the publication of her first novel, Wise Blood, critics have shown their interests in O’Connor. Recently, many researchers have applied various theories to the study of O’Connor from different perspectives. The interpretations of violence in her works, analyses of her religious thoughts through her grotesque characters, studies on existentialism, and psychological readings of her novels have appeared successively. Many prominent scholars even put O’Connor in the postmodern context to study the social significance of her religious affirmation. Interestingly, O’Connor’s religious views also converge with Kierkegaard, a religious philosopher, to some extent. Although living in the 19 th century, Kierkegaard sees more beyond his own era, and what he has presented in his works about the predicaments of human existence is also what the modern man are suffering. In Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away, O’Connor depicts her main characters in the form of Kierkegaard’s the “single individual” and exhibits her inheritance and development of Kierkegaard’s religious views. Accordingly, combining Kierkegaard’s religious claims, based on the interpretation of the main characters in Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away, this thesis explores the “single individual’s” existential predicaments in O’Connor’s novels and her views on the last redemption and real faith, with the aim of deepening reader’s understanding of O’Connor’s religious views, and her social concerns which are expressed through her religious claims.This thesis is divided into six parts: a general introduction, four main-body chapters and a conclusion.Introduction provides a brief presentation of the author, a brief summery of her works as well as a literature review. Then it states briefly the originality of applying Kierkegaard’s theory to the analysis of O’Connor’s novels. The writing circuits and the significance of the thesis are also presented in this part.Chapter One mainly focuses on Kierkegaard’s religious thoughts: his general concept of the “single individual,” three stages on life’s way as well as his view on sin. Chapter Two centers on the “single individual” in O’Connor’s Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away and analyzes the main characters’ process of becoming the “single individual.” As a religious man, Hazel Motes’ doubts about religion generate his spiritual fragmentation. He struggles between his free will and traditional belief, falls into anxiety and despair. With the sense of sin, Hazel finally finds his real faith through the demise of his body. Francis Tarwater also experiences his doubts and betrayal. He tries to find truth through violence in the alienated world. He finally accepts his fate as a prophet and becomes the real “single individual” with real faith. Both of them have experienced betrayal, escape and final conversion to religion, and they finally achieve their self-reconciliation and redemption. O’Connor’s depiction of their absurd and alienated spiritual world proves their destiny of becoming a real religious man. Chapter Three talks about the ethical choices of Hazel Motes and Francis Tarwater in their way to the “single individual,” and analyzes O’Connor’s presentation of modern man’s spiritual reality in her novels. Hazel gets caught in “spiritual autonomy” and tries to find the real meaning of life through him self, keeping himself far away from responsibility and love. And Francis chooses violence as a way to clear his conviction of his fate and accepts his responsibility as a prophet. Chapter Four discusses Hazel Motes and Francis Tarwater’s return to religion by analyzing how they could achieve their last leap to God and why they have to leap. Their conversions to God respond to Kierkegaard’s subjective faith, which means that individuals have to experience subjective exploration, learning from “depth experience,” and eventually get to the real faith. Then it talks about the free will of the “single individual” as a premise to the real faith. The individual has to get rid of any other’s control and makes his free choice, so he can experience subjective exploration and finally get his real faith. In O’Connor’s novels, Hazel and Francis’ freedom is regarded as a necessity to their final becoming of the “single individual,” and their autonomy and individualism derived from their free will also play a role in their pursuit of the real faith. Lastly, this part further analyzes O’Connor’s views on the relations of human’s autonomy and his belief, and suggests the reason why human should resort to religion in a rational world. Here, existential needs and the ultimate concern of religion are used to analyze O’Connor’s religious view which presents an inheritance and development of Kierkegaard.Conclusion summarizes the consistency between Kierkegaard’s the “single individual” and O’Connor’s characterization of Hazel Motes and Francis Tarwater in her novels. It also addresses O’Connor’s religious views on the real faith and her social concerns through her emphasis on real faith. In her novels, O’Connor depicts modern people’s spiritual reality in detail: traditional authority being challenged, pervading materialism, and individuals living in the network of discursive power, lacking freedom. Religion seems to offer a spiritual support for the modern people living in spiritual chaos and constriction. O’Connor’s presentation of human’s spiritual reality and her religious views expressed through her “single individual” not only center on her proposition of religious redemption but also extend to her deep concerns over the spiritual destiny of the human beings.