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"The Displaced Person" is a
novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...
by
Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. O'Connor was a Southern writer who of ...
. It was published in 1955 in her short story collection ''
A Good Man Is Hard to Find A Good Man Is Hard To Find may refer to: * "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" (short story), a 1953 short story by Flannery O'Connor *''A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories'', a 1955 collection of short stories by Flannery O'Connor * "A Good Man I ...
''. It tells the story of a struggling landowner who hires a Polish Catholic refugee ("
displaced person Forced displacement (also forced migration or forced relocation) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of perse ...
") to revitalize her failing farm. The refugee's talent and hard work alarm the American-born farmhands, who appeal to the community's racial, ethnic, nationalist, and religious prejudices to save their own jobs. Although a Catholic priest appeals to the landowner's sense of charity, the landowner finds that her capitalist self-interest is a more persuasive argument against prejudice. To write the story, O'Connor drew from her personal Catholicism and her family's experience hiring a Polish refugee family after World War II.


Plot summary


Part One

In post-
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, farm owner Mrs. McIntyre hires Mr. Guizac, a Polish refugee from the Soviet Union (the "
displaced person Forced displacement (also forced migration or forced relocation) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of perse ...
"), to work as a farmhand. Mr. Guizac's industriousness outshines the other farmhands (both black and white), whom Mrs. McIntyre generally holds in contempt. Mrs. McIntyre is particularly upset at Mr. Shortley, a white farmhand whose
side job A side job, also informally called a side hustle or side gig, is an extra job that a person takes in addition to their primary job in order to supplement their income. Side jobs may be done out of necessity when a person's main job does not pro ...
distilling liquor distracts him from his duties at the farm. His wife, Mrs. Shortley, tries to save her family's jobs with
identity politics Identity politics is politics based on a particular identity, such as ethnicity, Race (human categorization), race, nationality, religion, Religious denomination, denomination, gender, sexual orientation, Socioeconomic status, social background ...
. Although she is not a devout
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
, she targets Mr. Guizac's
Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, hoping to prejudice Mrs. McIntyre against Catholics. This effort fails since Mrs. McIntyre is not religious. Mrs. Shortley also warns the African-American farmhands that immigrants will take their jobs, but then betrays them by encouraging the white Mrs. McIntyre to fire the black farmhands first. She eventually begins seeing apocalyptic visions, including a vision of the
Ophanim The ophanim ( , ; singular: ), alternatively spelled auphanim or ofanim, and also called galgalim ( , ; singular: ), refer to the wheels seen in Ezekiel's vision of the chariot (Hebrew ) in . One of the Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q405) construes them ...
. One day, Mrs. Shortley overhears a conversation between Mrs. McIntyre and the Catholic priest who brought Mr. Guizac to the United States. Mrs. McIntyre confides that she likes Mr. Guizac because as a refugee, he cannot afford to be lazy. She adds that she will fire Mr. Shortley so that she can give the Pole a raise. Mrs. Shortley orders the family to pack up and leave before Mrs. McIntyre can fire them.


Part Two

Mrs. McIntyre reflects on the precariousness of her social position. A secretary by trade, she married a prominent man for his money, but when he died, the farm was all he had left. Her other two marriages ended in failure. Although the farm's fortunes are in decline, she clings to her bygone affluence. She complains that lazy American-born workers have drained the farm of its wealth, and hopes that industrious immigrants like Mr. Guizac can restore her fortunes. The black farmhands react to Mr. Guizac in different ways. The elderly Astor tries to prejudice Mrs. McIntyre against immigrants. The younger Sulk pays Mr. Guizac to broker an engagement with Mr. Guizac's (white) cousin, who sees an American marriage as a way to escape her Polish refugee camp. The prospect of an
interracial marriage Interracial marriage is a marriage involving spouses who belong to different "Race (classification of human beings), races" or Ethnic group#Ethnicity and race, racialized ethnicities. In the past, such marriages were outlawed in the United Sta ...
on the farm scandalizes Mrs. McIntyre, who concludes that the Pole is no different from any of the other
white trash White trash is a derogatory term in American English for poor white people, especially in the rural areas of the southern United States. The label signifies a social class within the white population, especially those perceived to have a ...
(in her view) she has previously hired and fired. She threatens to fire him unless he breaks up the engagement.


Part Three

For some time now, the Catholic priest has been trying to convert the nonbelieving Mrs. McIntyre. He encourages her to let Mr. Guizac stay as an act of
Christian charity In Christian theology Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New ...
, but Mrs. McIntyre resists, dismissing Christ as "just another isplaced person. One day, the priest sees Mrs. McIntyre's pet
peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
(a traditional Christian symbol of the
Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...
) and is reminded of the Transfiguration and Christ's sacrifice. Mr. Shortley abruptly returns, announcing that his wife has died of a stroke. Mrs. McIntyre rehires him, promising that she will fire Mr. Guizac. However, she cannot bring herself to get rid of the Pole, who continues to outperform the other farmhands. Demanding preferential treatment as a
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
veteran, Mr. Shortley rallies the neighborhood to call for Mr. Guizac's termination. Despite pressure from the locals, Mrs. McIntyre still refuses to fire Mr. Guizac; it is implied that her conscience was pricked by a vision of
the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
in a dream. Mr. Shortley's patience runs out. With Sulk's tacit approval and Mrs. McIntyre's acquiescence, he kills his rival by running him over with a tractor. His victory is temporary, as he is soon forced to flee, along with the other farmhands. Without her employees, Mrs. McIntyre is forced to sell the farm and suffers a
nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
. As her health fails, the only person who regularly visits her is the Catholic priest, who patiently sits with her in the hope that she will convert someday.


Analysis

The story was written while O'Connor was residing with her mother at a farm called
Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
. Scholars believe that the farm was the inspiration for the setting in "The Displaced Person" and is the work most closely associated with Andalusia. O'Connor's mother also employed a Polish refugee family and several African American laborers at Andalusia. Flannery O'Connor was fascinated with peacocks, described in her essay " The King of the Birds." In the story, the way the characters view the peacocks often corresponds to their own moral compass. For example, Father Flynn and Astor have positive attitudes towards the birds and are generally likable characters, while Mrs. McIntyre starves the birds and reduces their population, making her a villain.


Adaptation

The story was adapted and released in 1977 as a Public Television production for the series ''The American Short Story'', starring
Irene Worth Irene Worth, CBE (June 23, 1916March 10, 2002), born Harriett Elizabeth Abrams, was an American stage and screen actress who became one of the leading stars of the British and American theatre. She pronounced her first name with three syllabl ...
and
Shirley Stoler Shirley Stoler (March 30, 1929 – February 17, 1999) was an American actress best known for her roles in ''The Honeymoon Killers'' and Lina Wertmüller's ''Seven Beauties''. Early years The eldest of four children born to Russian Jewish imm ...
. The cast also includes
John Houseman John Houseman (born Jacques Haussmann; September 22, 1902 – October 31, 1988) was a Romanians, Romanian-born British Americans, British-American theatre and film producer, actor, director, and teacher. He became known for his highly publ ...
,
Robert Earl Jones Robert Earl Jones (February 3, 1910 – September 7, 2006), sometimes credited as Earl Jones, was an American actor. One of the first prominent black film stars, Jones was a living link with the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s, having ...
, and Samuel L. Jackson. It was filmed at
Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
.


See also

*
Anti-miscegenation laws in the United States In the United States, many U.S. states historically had anti-miscegenation laws which prohibited interracial marriage and, in some states, interracial sexual relations. Some of these laws predated the establishment of the United States, and som ...


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Displaced Person Short stories by Flannery O'Connor 1955 short stories Southern Gothic short stories