Grace Analysis of The Enduring Chill by Flannery O´connor...

In the short story The Enduring Chill, a man by the name of Asbury Fox is presented with God’s grace multiple times throughout the short story. He is offered God’s grace in the form of his mother, a stain on the ceiling, and a Jesuit priest. In the short story, Asbury is a failed writer who blames his failures on everyone else except himself. He has a sense of intellectual superiority to all those around. He is also sick and believes he will die from this mysterious disease. The first time Asbury is offered God’s grace is when his mother and sister both say that he needs to do something constructive with his life rather than labeling himself as a failed writer and sitting in bed all day. His mother’s idea was for him to work in the dairy with her but he ultimately refused, as he felt too weak to do any kind of physical labor. Although his mother’s initial intention was not for him to express a faith, she just wanted him to do something worthwhile with his life hoping that that would help him to feel better. Asbury’s sense of superiority over his mother does not permit him to see her point of view. The second attempt of Asbury denying God’s grace was when he failed to see the significance of the stain of the eagle with the icicle on his bedroom ceiling. The eagle represents the Holy Ghost, but Asbury is too afraid to even look at the eagle because not only does the eagle â€Å"freak him out†, but he is also â€Å"freaked out† by the idea of faith and ultimately cannot accept God’sShow MoreRelatedParkers Back by Flannery OConnor1146 Words   |  5 Pagessignificance of Flannery O Connor s Parker s Back can seem at once cold and dispassionate, as well as almost absurdly stark and violent. Her short stories routinely end in horrendous, freak fatalities or, at the very least, a character s emotional devastation. Flannery O Connor is a Christian writer, and her work is message-oriented, yet she is far too brilliant a stylist to tip her hand; like all good writers, crass didacticism is abhorrent to her. Unlike some more cryptic writers, O Connor was happy