The Displaced Person is an ironic play depicting events in a small Southern dairy after World War II. In this short story, O’Connor depicts the murder of a Polish refugee on a small Georgia farm. One of the characters, Guizac has a great impact on the story’s conflict and resolution. He is a riddle to the Shortly and Mrs. McIntyre. O’Connor uses symbolic descriptions s and irony to create a story conflict and depict the mysterious character of Guizac.
One of the unique characterization techniques is symbolic portrayal and irony. O’Connor shows that the writer’s weather makes Guizac handsome and pleasant. Guizac is one of the most intriguing characters: he is a Pole, a Catholic, and a concentration camp survivor. O’Connor creates a unique personality distinct from other characters: he is portrayed as an alien to them. Even his appearance is off-putting: “he was short and a little swaybacked and wore gold-rimmed glasses” and “khaki pants” (195). O’Connor depicts hat when Guizac kisses Mrs. McIntyre’s hand in a vaguely obsequious way and has “a broad grin that [is] toothless on one side” (197). Thus, O’Connor ironically makes Guizac and his family plain. Mrs. Guizac is “shaped like a peanut” (195). Sledgewig, Guizac’s daughter, has a name that resembles “something you would name a bug” (195). What is most unique is that description of Guizac is that his homeliness seems at odds with his role in the story. The story tells that Guizac is meant to be some kind of Christ figure. The irony is that O’Connor him as a man with an ugly face: “Monster! [Mrs. McIntyre ] said. Guizac’s forehead and skull are white where they have been protected by his cap but the rest of his face is red and bristled with short yellow hairs.
It seems that the character of Guizac does not fit the overall story because of his appearance and image, thus he is a core figure in it. He is a displaced person with unique qualities so that his goodness fits into the ironic world of the story. O’Connor uses irony and mockery to draw parallels between Jesus and the displaced person. Guizac’s “blasphemy,” creates his fate and the story conflict. This passage is probably the most richly textured in the story. O’Connor makes several important remarks: she underlines a contrast between the splendor of the peacock, with its tail full of suns, and the homelessness of Guizac; O’Connor’s irony opposites a new relationship. at the end of the story, Mrs. McIntyre acknowledges her sinfulness, not because of strong religious beliefs but because she sees and hears Guizac’s spine snap. “Mr. Guizac’s body was covered with the bent bodies of his wife and two children and by a black one which hung over him, murmuring words which she didn’t understand” (235). O’Connor underlines the human body and its relationship to the world: Guizac’s crushed corpse, Father Flynn, with blood on his pants, wearing an expression that seems to meld with the landscape.
In sum, Guizac seems the most intriguing character in spite of the fact that he is clearly depicted and characterized. Still, O’Connor leaves it to readers to decide the real nature of this plain person and his role in village life. Guizac is a victim who suffers unpurposely. Guizac is a grotesque character who drives and directs the story from the very beginning to the end (from conflict to resolution). The relationship between beauty and ugliness adds emotional tensions and underlines satirical contrast.
Works Cited
O’Connor, F. The Displaced Person. Collected Works. Library of America, 1988.