Do you agree with O’Connor that the leg accumulates lots of symbolic meaning?

#2 I agree with O’Connor that the leg accumulates lots of symbolic meaning. In the story, characters are written as lacking spirituality, regardless of how tangible a proposed defect is. The concept of a character lacking spirituality, as evidenced by a fault, is an idea displaced throughout the story in various ways. One example is Hulga. She has a physical defect and lacks spirituality. Hulga believes in science and the physical rather than mystical or mythical. Ultimately, despite her attitude.

Many of the characters have a physical deformity which is symbolic of a spiritual one.” For example, the Bible salesperson. He mentions that he has a heart defect but later reveals that he is lying about the heart defect. He then admits to not being religious and lying about his name. He tells Hulga, “Pointer ain’t my name. You ain’t so smart. I have been believing in nothing ever since I was born!”. While the heart defect is false, he is still written as a character lacking spirituality. These deficits provide the basis of characterization for these characters. Sometimes, these deformities aren’t physical, but the symbolism still applies.

Reminder: You can use “I” but you should also be using specific examples from the texts in order to support your interpretation or to analyze. You do not need to answer all questions–they are there to guide you. These should be a minimum of 150 words. This should be a paragraph or two, not just sentences answering each question.

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#2: Flannery O’Connor wrote, “In good fiction, certain of the details will tend to accumulate meaning from the action of the story itself, and when this happens they become symbolic in the way they work. This story does manage to operate at another level of experience, by letting the wooden leg accumulate meaning. As the story goes on, the wooden leg continues to accumulate meaning. The reader learns how the girl feels about her leg, how her mother feels about it, and how the country woman on the place feels about it, and finally, by the time the Bible salesman comes along, the leg has accumulated so much meaning that it is, as the saying goes, loaded” (Mystery and Manners 99).

Do you agree with O’Connor that the leg accumulates lots of symbolic meaning? Disagree with examples or expand with examples. What meaning do you see the leg having? Is it different for each major character? Ultimately, when Hulga loses her leg, what else does she lose (psychologically or spiritually)?