The old lady settled herself comfortably, removing her white cotton gloves and putting them up with her purse on the shelf in front of the back window. The children’s mother still had on slacks and still had her head tied up in a green kerchief, but the grandmother had on a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print. Her collars and cuffs were white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet. In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.
Excerpt, A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor. Photograph, Library of Congress.
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I love “In case of accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once she was a lady.” A person needs to think of such things …
I need to revisit Flannery O’Connor. Obviously, I would appreciate her much more, now …
a) There is a part of me that wishes we still took dressing that seriously. (Not the part that wears jeans and t-shirts, obviously.)
b) Is there a more iconic Southern female writer than Flannery O’Connor? If so, don’t tell me. I love her.
This just made my day–Flannery O’Connor is my favorite! She was the star of my Southern & Catholic Literature class in college and I’ve loved her ever since.
There was a Southern and Catholic Literature class? Was she the only author studied? ;)
Love this passage and Flannery O’Connor. You have done her (and the lady expecting to be found dead on the highway) justice.
Obviously, I’m not that well read since this is the first time I’ve heard of Flannery O’Connor. But I will certainly be looking for her book in the library! Anyone who writes about a lady that desires to be identified as a lady when found dead on the highway has got to have some interesting writings. Morbid as it may seem…
Thanks for sharing!
If you like macabre, you’ll like O’Connor. The ending of this story had me thinking for hours.
Flannery O’Connor is one of my favorite writers. Great photo!
Love this one. O’Connor is one of my faves, and now I’m wondering where my copy of her short story collection has gotten to. Must re-read.