Introduction
Of the various topics offered, the role of spirituality, faith, and religiosity in the works of some authors is of the most significant interest. The examples chosen for consideration are those by Flannery O’Connor and Walter Percy, authors known to all and with considerable relevance to questions of faith and religion, philosophy, and self-knowledge. In the context of consideration, “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” and The Moviegoer are quite relevant and characteristic pieces. Upon detailed analysis and consideration, it becomes apparent that the approaches, perceptions of one’s faith, and understanding of human spirituality differ significantly in the works of these authors, despite the partial regional and temporal overlap of their creative periods (Gist). The importance of spirituality and the search for philosophical meaning in existence, as highlighted by writers focused on spirituality, becomes evident in the works reviewed.
Approaches to Religion and Philosophy
Although comparing two works of a similar genre is positioned as a separate topic, it is impossible to consider examples of authors and their works related to spirituality without drawing parallels. The Moviegoer is a larger novel, filled with philosophical meaning and acquiring signs of spirituality from the beginning (Gist). Examining O’Connor’s work, however, allows one to note the author’s brevity and pronounced style, which does not deprive the work of deep meaning and the conveyance of personal visions and experiences.
Both authors share similar key ideas in this format, arguing that spirituality and faith are central, but do not inherently make a person unequivocally good or bad. Both literary works are expressions of the authors’ understandings of the cultural and religious context, and neither promotes or imposes central opinions, inviting readers to draw conclusions and form their own understanding. The depth of philosophical reasoning often attributed to Percy is evident in O’Connor’s brief writings (Poggi 1). The authors’ personal sufferings, experiences, and life trials are similar, which may condition their approach to shaping their literary works.
The Moviegoer
It is first suggested that the work of Walter Percy be examined to determine the basic principles and meaning of what is going on. The novel’s protagonist is a young man who reaches his thirtieth birthday in an ambiguous position, lacking spiritual stability and balance (Percy 13). He struggles to find purpose and meaning in his life, pushing him to search for God. He is a Catholic, yet not pious, and shows no interest in his religion (Percy 18). Later, he focuses more on this issue and tries to understand whether blessings and true faith can coexist with ordinary human affairs.
The religious theme is not at the center of the story. Still, one can notice the division of the family into believing Catholics and skeptics (Gist). One of the primary reasons for the emptiness in the protagonist’s soul is the shift in his worldview following an injury sustained during the Korean War. After this incident, the so-called search gained meaning for the character, while the goal remains vague.According to the author, at such a turning point in life, a person may not notice the need to search and remain in despair, or notice and not be able to ignore it (Gist). Undoubtedly implicit in the format of this search is the desire to acquire spirituality, faith in God, and to achieve inner harmony.
Throughout the novel, the protagonist is increasingly visited by moments of spiritual insight resulting from his interactions with others, his observation of nature, or the beauty of the world around him. At such moments, the quest’s goal seems much closer, even if incomprehensible to the protagonist himself, and the significance of existence is felt much more strongly. The main character considers the completion of his search as the achievement of certain milestones in his life, such as his enrollment in medical school and his long-awaited wedding (Percy 110). However, even the repeated approach to epiphany and potential spirituality, to which the author leads the reader, does not become fully realized by the protagonist. He has no authoritative conclusions about its outcome after the end of this stage of his own life.
“A Good Man Is Hard to Find”
Unlike the one discussed above, O’Connor’s short story is much more intense and, in some ways, aggressive. The author, who had health and personal problems, has devoted time to finding her spiritual position of balance (Poggi 2). She has often woven her experiences with completely different people and their opposing sides into her work; this story is no exception.
In a religious format, the story incorporates three basic concepts: sin, redemption, and retribution. In addition, the idea that ostentatious piety and behavior that demonstrate a commitment to faith do not indicate a person’s positive qualities and do not consistently demonstrate the truth stands out. The central character, the grandmother of the traveling family, stands out for all the negative indicators simultaneously. Her selfishness, which indirectly provoked the accident, and her shortsightedness, expressed in revealing the identities of the fugitive criminals encountered, caused the tragedy.
The protagonist’s dialogue with the antagonist against the background of relatives killed through her fault becomes the central, leading core of the idea of the work. Attempts to show off her faith, manipulate others through religiosity, and appeal to feelings absent in both demonstrate the heroine’s hypocrisy. The main antagonist of the work, the leader of a gang of criminals, for all his repugnance, is much more direct and open. He symbolizes evil, but the grandmother is not his opposite and evokes no sympathy (O’Connor).
In the final touches of the work, the author has left a mystery that can still be interpreted in two ways. Just before her death, the protagonist shows signs of religious insight in an attempt to convince and a last dash to protect her life.However, it is more likely that this insight is only a last desperate manipulation, and the heroine’s faith cannot be considered valid or fully revealed. This suspense may be related to difficult periods in the author’s personal life. It may denote her insecurities, which she periodically experienced as she battled illness and searched for faith.
Discussion
Both works explore themes of redemption and grace, not forgetting to highlight moments of sin. Such works have an obvious relationship to religious literature and can lift the veil on the exploration of themes of spirituality in the works of Catholic authors.In doing so, both authors relate to Southern Gothic literature, which has a grotesque character, especially evident in the works of O’Connor (Poggi 3). The overall human conditions of mortality and suffering, the meaning of existence, and its fragility are observed in both works, differing only in the dimension and pace of events. Moreover, both works suggest a deeper meaning of life beyond the physical and material.
Conclusion
Therefore, the significance of spirituality and the quest for the philosophical understanding of existence and God emerge through examining the writers’ works. In addition, literature explores complex ideas and the context of cultural or historical events, which is evident even in religious works. Representations of the human condition can help readers reconsider their assumptions, beliefs, and spiritual aspirations. Literature’s ability to elicit placements and emotions can affect levels of spirituality and understanding of the meaning and essence of faith.
Works Cited
Gist, John M. “Walker Percy and the God Question.” FAITH & CULTURE, Web.
O’Connor, Flannery. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. Faber & Faber, 2019.
Percy, Walker. The Moviegoer. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019.
Poggi, Alfredo Ignacio. “A Southern Gothic Theology: Flannery O’Connor and Her Religious Conception of the Novel.” Theologica Xaveriana, vol. 70, 2020, pp. 1–23, Web.