In how many stories in this collection does the author use a widow and an unmarried son as her main characters? What do they represent?

What do the detailed descriptions of skies, sunsets, top lines of trees, and clouds indicate about the author? How many sunsets are depicted with exceptional clarity?

How many stories have similarly neglected small children that die at the end? What does this represent?

How does the author write Negro and southern dialect with such accuracy? Can you write the sound of a dialect with which you are familiar?

Discuss your idea of Flannery O'Connor's beliefs about racism.

Do you think Flannery O'Connor paints a realistic picture of life in a small town and on a farm? What about small-town southern people?

How does Flannery O'Connor use the physically grotesque to illustrate the beautiful? Discuss the meaning she might have...