Project Title

“Something Botched” and Something Blue: Real Love and Marriage in O’Connor’s “Parker’s Back”

Faculty Mentor(s) Name(s)

Dr. Marshall Bruce Gentry

Abstract

Most critics of O’Connor’s “Parker’s Back” tend to believe that the story, included in O’Connor’s second collection, _Everything That Rises Must Converge_, is a classic example of her stories: religious, violent, and on some level, deeply Catholic. While “Parker’s Back” is arguably all of those things, it also presents an essential question that O’Connor herself and her readers have repeatedly asked. Did Flannery O’Connor ever write a successful romance plot? Early drafts of other stories and alternate drafts of novels reveal a constant, struggling attempt to write such a story. However, a close reading of “Parker’s Back” and its religious symbolism reveals that O’Connor finally achieved her goal with this story. Parker’s characterization as a likable and charming protagonist, and the organic and mutual connection between Parker and his wife, Sarah Ruth all support this theory. O’Connor asks readers not only to view Parker’s love for Sarah Ruth at the end of the story as a parallel to his newfound love for Christ, but also to view his betrayal of Sarah Ruth as an opportunity for her to have her own Christ-figure arc. This implies that Parker will not use his newfound Catholicism to distance himself from his wife; rather, he has chosen to bring her with him into grace. Title: “Something Botched” and Something Blue: Real Love and Marriage in O’Connor’s “Parker’s Back” Key Words: Flannery O’Connor, romance, religious studies, Southern Literature, Parker’s Back, English Literature

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“Something Botched” and Something Blue: Real Love and Marriage in O’Connor’s “Parker’s Back”

Most critics of O’Connor’s “Parker’s Back” tend to believe that the story, included in O’Connor’s second collection, _Everything That Rises Must Converge_, is a classic example of her stories: religious, violent, and on some level, deeply Catholic. While “Parker’s Back” is arguably all of those things, it also presents an essential question that O’Connor herself and her readers have repeatedly asked. Did Flannery O’Connor ever write a successful romance plot? Early drafts of other stories and alternate drafts of novels reveal a constant, struggling attempt to write such a story. However, a close reading of “Parker’s Back” and its religious symbolism reveals that O’Connor finally achieved her goal with this story. Parker’s characterization as a likable and charming protagonist, and the organic and mutual connection between Parker and his wife, Sarah Ruth all support this theory. O’Connor asks readers not only to view Parker’s love for Sarah Ruth at the end of the story as a parallel to his newfound love for Christ, but also to view his betrayal of Sarah Ruth as an opportunity for her to have her own Christ-figure arc. This implies that Parker will not use his newfound Catholicism to distance himself from his wife; rather, he has chosen to bring her with him into grace. Title: “Something Botched” and Something Blue: Real Love and Marriage in O’Connor’s “Parker’s Back” Key Words: Flannery O’Connor, romance, religious studies, Southern Literature, Parker’s Back, English Literature