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Date: 7-15-01
PEOPLE IN AMERICA #1830 - FLANNERY O'CONNOR
By RICHARD THORMANVOICE ONE:
I'M SHIRLEY GRIFFITH.
VOICE TWO:
AND I'M RAY FREEMAN WITH THE VOA SPECIAL ENGLISH PROGRAM,
PEOPLE IN AMERICA. TODAY, WE TELL ABOUT WRITER FLANNERY
O'CONNOR.
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
LATE IN HER LIFE SOMEONE ASKED THE AMERICAN WRITER FLANNERY
O'CONNOR WHY SHE WROTE. SHE SAID, "BECAUSE I AM GOOD AT IT."
SHE WAS GOOD. YET, SHE WAS NOT ALWAYS AS GOOD A WRITER AS SHE
BECAME. SHE IMPROVED BECAUSE SHE LISTENED TO OTHERS. SHE
CHANGED HER STORIES. SHE RE-WROTE THEM, THEN RE-WROTE THEM
AGAIN, ALWAYS WORKING TO IMPROVE WHAT SHE WAS CREATING.
FLANNERY HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A WRITER. AFTER SHE GRADUATED
FROM GEORGIA STATE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN, SHE ASKED TO BE ACCEPTED AT
A WRITING PROGRAM AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA. THE HEAD OF
THE SCHOOL FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND HER SOUTHERN SPEECH.
HE ASKED HER TO WRITE WHAT SHE WANTED. THEN HE ASKED TO SEE SOME
EXAMPLES OF HER WORK.
HE SAW IMMEDIATELY THAT THE WRITING WAS FULL OF IMAGINATION AND
BRIGHT WITH KNOWLEDGE, LIKE FLANNERY O'CONNOR HERSELF.
VOICE TWO:
MARY FLANNERY O'CONNOR WAS BORN MARCH TWENTY-FIFTH,
NINETEEN-TWENTY-FIVE, IN THE SOUTHERN CITY OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.
THE YEAR SHE WAS BORN, HER FATHER DEVELOPED A RARE DISEASE
CALLED LUPUS. HE DIED OF THE DISEASE IN NINETEEN-FORTY-ONE. BY
THAT TIME THE FAMILY WAS LIVING IN THE SMALL SOUTHERN TOWN OF
MILLEDGEVILLE, GEORGIA, IN A HOUSE OWNED BY FLANNERY'S MOTHER.
LIFE IN A SMALL TOWN IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH WAS WHAT O'CONNOR KNEW
BEST. YET SHE SAID, "IF YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, YOU CAN GO
ANYWHERE."
VOICE ONE:
MANY PEOPLE IN THE TOWN OF MILLEDGEVILLE THOUGHT SHE WAS
DIFFERENT FROM OTHER GIRLS. SHE WAS KIND TO EVERYONE, BUT SHE
SEEMED TO STAND TO ONE SIDE OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING, AS IF SHE
WANTED TO SEE IT BETTER. HER MOTHER WAS HER EXAMPLE. HER MOTHER
SAID, "I WAS BROUGHT UP TO BE NICE TO EVERYONE AND NOT TO TELL MY
BUSINESS TO ANYONE."
FLANNERY ALSO DID NOT TALK ABOUT HERSELF. BUT IN HER WRITING A
SILENT AND DISTANT ANGER EXPLODES FROM THE QUIET SURFACE OF HER
STORIES. SOME SEE HER AS A ROMAN CATHOLIC RELIGIOUS WRITER.
THEY SEE HER ANGER AS THE SEARCH TO SAVE HER MORAL BEING THROUGH
HER BELIEF IN JESUS CHRIST. OTHERS DO NOT DENY HER ROMAN
CATHOLIC RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. YET THEY SEE HER NOT WRITING ABOUT
THINGS, BUT PRESENTING THE THINGS THEMSELVES.
VOICE TWO:
WHEN SHE LEFT THE WRITING PROGRAM AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY SHE
WAS INVITED TO JOIN A GROUP OF WRITERS AT THE YADDO WRITERS'
COLONY. YADDO IS AT SARATOGA SPRINGS IN NEW YORK STATE. IT
PROVIDES A SMALL GROUP OF WRITERS WITH A HOME AND A PLACE TO WORK
FOR A SHORT TIME.
THE FOLLOWING YEAR, NINETEEN-FORTY-NINE, SHE MOVED TO NEW YORK
CITY. SHE SOON LEFT THE CITY AND LIVED WITH HER FRIEND ROBERT
FITZGERALD AND HIS FAMILY IN THE NORTHEASTERN STATE OF
CONNECTICUT. FITZGERALD SAYS O'CONNOR NEEDED TO BE ALONE TO WORK
DURING THE DAY. AND SHE NEEDED HER FRIENDS TO TALK TO WHEN HER
WORK WAS DONE.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
WHILE WRITING HER FIRST NOVEL, WISE BLOOD, SHE WAS STRICKEN WITH
THE DISEASE, LUPUS, THAT HAD KILLED HER FATHER. THE TREATMENT
FOR LUPUS WEAKENED HER. SHE MOVED BACK TO GEORGIA AND LIVED THE
REST OF HER LIFE WITH HER MOTHER ON A FARM OUTSIDE MILLEDGEVILLE.
O'CONNOR WAS STILL ABLE TO WRITE, TRAVEL, AND GIVE SPEECHES.
WISE BLOOD APPEARED IN NINETEEN-FIFTY-TWO. BOTH IT AND
O'CONNOR'S SECOND NOVEL, THE VIOLENT BEAR IT AWAY, ARE ABOUT A
YOUNG MAN GROWING UP. IN BOTH BOOKS THE YOUNG MEN ARE UNWILLING
TO ACCEPT THE WORK THEY WERE MOST FIT TO DO.
LIKE ALL OF FLANNERY O'CONNOR'S WRITING, THE BOOK IS FILLED WITH
HUMOR, EVEN WHEN HER MEANING IS SERIOUS. IT SHOWS THE MIX OF A
TRADITIONAL WORLD WITH A MODERN WORLD. IT ALSO SHOWS A BATTLE OF
IDEAS EXPRESSED IN THE SIMPLE, COUNTRY TALK THAT O'CONNOR KNEW
VERY WELL.
VOICE TWO:
IN WISE BLOOD A YOUNG MAN, HAZEL MOTES, LEAVES THE ARMY BUT
FINDS HIS HOME TOWN EMPTY. HE FLEES TO A CITY, LOOKING FOR "A
PLACE TO BE." ON THE TRAIN HE ANNOUNCES THAT HE DOES NOT BELIEVE
IN JESUS CHRIST. HE SAYS, "I WOULDN'T EVEN IF HE EXISTED. EVEN
IF HE WAS ON THIS TRAIN."
HIS MOVING TO THE CITY IS AN ATTEMPT TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE
NATURAL WORLD AND BECOME A THING, A MACHINE. HE DECIDES THAT ALL
HE CAN KNOW IS WHAT HE CAN TOUCH AND SEE.
IN THE END, HOWEVER, HE DESTROYS HIS PHYSICAL SIGHT SO THAT HE
MAY TRULY SEE, BECAUSE HE SAYS THAT WHEN HE HAD EYES HE WAS
BLIND. CRITICS SAY HIS ACTION SEEMS TO SHOW THAT HE IS NO LONGER
WILLING TO DENY THE EXISTENCE OF JESUS BUT NOW IS WILLING TO
FOLLOW HIM INTO THE DARK.
THE NOVEL RECEIVED HIGH PRAISE FROM CRITICS. IT DID NOT BECOME
POPULAR WITH THE PUBLIC, HOWEVER.
VOICE ONE:
O'CONNOR'S SECOND NOVEL, THE VIOLENT BEAR IT AWAY, WAS PUBLISHED
IN NINETEEN-SIXTY. LIKE WISE BLOOD, IT IS A STORY ABOUT A YOUNG
MAN LEARNING TO DEAL WITH LIFE.
THE BOOK OPENS WITH THE YOUNG MAN, FRANCIS MARION TARWATER,
REFUSING TO DO THE TWO THINGS HIS GRANDFATHER HAD ORDERED HIM TO
DO. THESE ARE TO BURY THE OLD MAN DEEP IN THE GROUND, AND TO
BRING RELIGION TO HIS UNCLE'S MENTALLY SICK CHILD.
INSTEAD, TARWATER BURNS THE HOUSE WHERE HIS GRANDFATHER DIED AND
LETS THE MENTALLY SICK CHILD DROWN DURING A RELIGIOUS CEREMONY.
VOICE TWO:
CRITICS SAY TARWATER'S VIOLENCE COMES FROM HIS ATTEMPT TO FIND
TRUTH BY DENYING RELIGION. IN THE END, HOWEVER, HE ACCEPTS THAT
HE HAS BEEN TOUCHED BY A DEEPER FORCE, THE FORCE OF THE WORD OF
GOD, AND HE MUST ACCEPT THAT WORD.
BOTH OF O'CONNOR'S NOVELS EXPLORE THE LONG MOMENT OF FEAR WHEN A
YOUNG MAN MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN THE DIFFICULTIES OF GROWING UP AND
THE SAFE WORLD OF A CHILD.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
FLANNERY O'CONNOR IS AT LEAST AS WELL KNOWN FOR HER STORIES AS
FOR HER NOVELS. HER FIRST BOOK OF STORIES, A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO
FIND, APPEARED IN NINETEEN FIFTY-FIVE. IN IT SHE DEALS WITH MANY
OF THE IDEAS SHE WROTE ABOUT IN WISE BLOOD, SUCH AS THE SEARCH
FOR JESUS CHRIST.
IN MANY OF THE STORIES THERE IS A CONFLICT BETWEEN THE WORLD OF
THE SPIRIT AND THE WORLD OF THE BODY. IN THE STORY, "THE LIFE
YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN," A TRAVELLING WORKMAN WITH ONLY ONE ARM
COMES TO A FARM. HE CLAIMS TO BE MORE CONCERNED WITH THINGS OF
THE SPIRIT THAN WITH OBJECTS.
VOICE TWO:
THE WOMAN WHO OWNS THE FARM OFFERS TO LET HIM MARRY HER DEAF
DAUGHTER. HE FINALLY AGREES WHEN THE MOTHER GIVES HIM THE FARM,
HER CAR, AND SEVENTEEN DOLLARS FOR THE WEDDING TRIP. HE SAYS,
"LADY, A MAN IS DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS, BODY AND SPIRIT. . . . THE
BODY, LADY, IS LIKE A HOUSE: IT DON'T GO ANYWHERE; BUT THE
SPIRIT, LADY, IS LIKE A AUTOMOBILE, ALWAYS ON THE MOVE. . . ."
HE MARRIES THE DAUGHTER AND DRIVES OFF WITH HER. WHEN THEY STOP
TO EAT, THE MAN LEAVES HER AND DRIVES OFF TOWARD THE CITY. ON
THE WAY HE STOPS AND GIVES A RIDE TO A WANDERING BOY.
WE LEARN THAT WHEN THE ONE-ARMED MAN WAS A CHILD HIS MOTHER LEFT
HIM. CRITICS SAY THAT WHEN HE HELPS THE BOY HE IS HELPING
HIMSELF.
VOICE ONE:
IN NINETEEN-SIXTY-FOUR, O'CONNOR WAS OPERATED ON FOR A STOMACH
DISEASE. ONE RESULT OF THIS OPERATION WAS THE RETURN OF LUPUS,
THE DISEASE THAT KILLED HER FATHER. ON AUGUST THIRD,
NINETEEN-SIXTY-FOUR, FLANNERY O'CONNOR DIED. SHE WAS THIRTY-NINE
YEARS OLD.
NEAR THE END OF HER LIFE SHE SAID, "I'M A BORN CATHOLIC, AND
DEATH HAS ALWAYS BEEN BROTHER TO MY IMAGINATION."
VOICE TWO:
THE NEXT YEAR, IN NINETEEN-SIXTY-FIVE, HER FINAL COLLECTION OF
STORIES, EVERYTHING THAT RISES MUST CONVERGE, APPEARED. IN IT
SHE SPEAKS OF THE CRUELTY OF DISEASE AND THE DEEPER CRUELTY THAT
EXISTS BETWEEN PARENTS AND CHILDREN. IN THESE STORIES, GROWN
CHILDREN ARE IN A STRUGGLE WITH PARENTS THEY NEITHER LOVE NOR
LEAVE. MANY OF THE CHILDREN FEEL GUILTY ABOUT HATING THE MOTHERS
WHO, THE CHILDREN FEEL, HAVE DESTROYED THEM THROUGH LOVE. THE
CHILDREN WANT TO REBEL VIOLENTLY, BUT THEY FEAR LOSING THEIR
MOTHERS' PROTECTION.
IN NINETEEN-SEVENTY-ONE, O'CONNOR'S COLLECTED STORIES WAS
PUBLISHED. THE BOOK CONTAINS MOST OF WHAT SHE WROTE. IT HAS ALL
THE STORIES OF HER EARLIER COLLECTIONS. IT ALSO HAS EARLY
VERSIONS OF BOTH NOVELS THAT WERE FIRST PUBLISHED AS STORIES.
AND IT HAS PARTS OF AN UNCOMPLETED NOVEL AND AN UNPUBLISHED
STORY.
IN NINETEEN-SEVENTY-TWO THIS LAST BOOK WON THE AMERICAN BOOK
INDUSTRY'S HIGHEST PRIZE, THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD. AS ONE CRITIC
NOTED, FLANNERY O'CONNOR DID NOT LIVE LONG, BUT SHE LIVED DEEPLY,
AND WROTE BEAUTIFULLY.
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
THIS SPECIAL ENGLISH PROGRAM WAS WRITTEN BY RICHARD THORMAN. I'M
SHIRLEY GRIFFITH.
VOICE TWO:
AND I'M RAY FREEMAN. JOIN US AGAIN NEXT WEEK FOR ANOTHER
PEOPLE IN AMERICA PROGRAM ON THE VOICE OF AMERICA.
Source: www.voa.gov/special/