"The Paperhanger", by William Gay

Oh how to begin such a well written story. "The Paperhanger" was truly one of the best stories I have ever been assigned to read in college. When it comes to Southern Gothic literature, William Gay knows exactly what he is doing. William Gay, a native of Tennessee, began his writing career when he was only fifteen. Gay's fiction is normally set in the rural South during the 1940s and 1950s. The reason I chose to talk about "The Paperhanger" is because it is one of the best at portraying Gay's ability to write about the dark, violent kinds of characters. From the very first line of the story, it has you hooked and makes you want to continue reading. "The vanishing of the doctor's wife's child in broad daylight was an event so cataclysmic that it forever divided time into the then and the now, and before and the after". The ungrateful doctor's wife and her daughter are the characters at the beginning of the story. They are getting a brand new home built for their family, and she is overseeing what the workers are doing and how well it is being done. She insults the Paperhanger, and walks off in a spit of anger due to him not doing exactly what she wanted. It is then her daughter, who had just been standing right beside her, who went missing and was never seen again. The story winds on about the town searching, the marriage breaking apart, and the house construction coming to an end. It's like the disappearance of the child made everything come to stand still, even the love between the couple. After some time, and some great events that lead up to it, both wife and husband split, and go their separate ways. The paperhanger remains in town, with no emotion really ever shown, and going about his business. Upon the return of the wife some time later, who had since turned into an alcoholic, she asks the paperhanger to take her to the woods believing that her daughter IS out there somewhere. While there, the paperhanger makes some nasty confessions, but not about her daughter, about his family he had before. Even after this, he seduces the woman, and they go to bed together. Upon awakening, the wife finds what she had been searching for all along. While she was sleeping, the Paperhanger had placed her daughters dead body beside her, and left. This story is one true definition of brutal irony.

"A Streetcar Named Desire", by Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams was a playwright that was well known for many Southern Gothic stories. His name was actually Thomas, however he changed it to Tennessee in honor of the state in which his father was born. Many of Tennessee Williams's stories are believed to come from many true life experiences that he delt with. Tennessee was very close to his sister, Rose, and many believe that his life as an alcoholic may have been because of her condition. Rose was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her struggles and constant disappointments with procedures made things stressful for the family. The story I would like to talk about by Mr. Williams is called "A Streetcar Named Desire". The reason for my explanation of Tennessee's sister, Rose, is because the main character in this story, Blanche, is who many believe represents Rose. Blanche had a troubled past that lead her to her sister's home in New Orleans. There, she finds her sister, Stella, and Stella's husband, Stanley. From the beginning, there is a unknown vibe between Blanche and Stanley. They are of completely different make ups and are made to tear each other apart. Blanche, the southern bell that is known for her seductions and smile, and Stanley, a hard working big mouth that seems to treat Stella in all the ways that he should not. The main part of the story that symbolises a lot of things is when Stanley finally drives Blanche to tell the truth of the things in her mind that she has tried to hide and get away from. She had done many bad things, but what really haunted Blanche was the death of her first husband. He had been having a secret homosexual relationship, and when Blanche caught him in the act, she told him she wanted nothing to do with him and that he was disgusting. He killed himself soon after, and Blanche had blamed herself for it ever since. Towards the end, Stanley drives Blanche to realize the real things she had done. She realized so much that is caused her to have a nervous breakdown, resulting in Stanley's orders to her getting taken to a mental hospital. The ending is very sad, and you truly realize how taunted and mentally tired Blanche was at that point. The doctor came in, and she had given up all hope and gave herself to him and the nurse. This story is said said to symbolize Rose, Tennessee's sister, because she had lost herself as well after the lobotomy, and was also carried away. The symbolism in the story is amazing, and I highly recommend anyone to watch the movie as well. The sounds, places, everything in the story just flows no nicely together and truly gives the meaning that the story is trying to give.

"A Worn Path", by Eudora Welty

Eudora Welty was a short-story and novel writer from Jackson Mississippi. Welty was a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers founded in 1987. Not only was Welty a great author, but she was a great photographer as well. Her photos sometimes inspired her writing, and you can really connect many of them together. The story I would like to address by Welty is called "A Worn Path". This short story is about a woman named Phoenix Jackson. Phoenix is on a journey to town through the woods in order to get medicine for her grandson. The walk through the woods is so amazing, because it truly shows you what kind of person she is. We are able to hear her thoughts and see her actions, yet we are also able to see her from a distance in the text. The literature flows in a way that describes exactly what she looks like, poor and old, but extremely determined. Phoenix meets a boy along the walk, who has a gun because he is hunting. He points the gun at her, but she makes no reaction. "Doesn't the gun scare you?", "No, Sir, I seen plenty go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done". Here, we see that Phoenix had been through something in her life that was not enjoyable. She had a hard background, which made her the tough person she is. The grotesque part of the story would be the way she is pictured in our minds. Her clothes are tattered, she is very old, and very poor. It gives us a perception of her, which is what is meant to happen. Eventually, Phoenix gets the medicine she was after in the first place. One question that has been raised about this story is whether or not the grandson really exists. He had swallowed lye a few years back, and from what Phoenix says his throat needs constant medicine so that he can stay alive. However, certain things in the story hent to the fact that maybe he has been gone for a long time, and Phoenix continues the journey for self peace and happiness. She still believes her grandson is alive.

"A Rose for Emily", by William Faulkner

William Faulkner, a novelist and short story writer, is well known for being one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Faulkner is known for using a literary movement known as stream of consciousness. Stream of consciousness can best be described by the writer trying to portray an individuals point of view by writing out their thought process. It is sometimes hard to follow, but makes the reading more interesting. The story I would like to talk about by William Faulkner is called "A Rose for Emily". In this story, Faulkner uses the stream of consciousness from the townspeople's point of views. Faulkner does a great job of building up the character for Emily as the story starts and rolls along. The ironic and grotesque feeling even evolves when Emily's home is being described. "An eyesore among eyes" was used to describe the beat down, dark looking home. Emily is a well known towns lady, and generally just strolls around town with her mate Homer. There are hints dropped here and there that Emily's frustration is that Homer will not propose to her. The mystery comes into play when Emily makes a trip to her local drugstore, and purchases arsenic. Is she going to commit suicide? What is she planning to do with arsenic? In the end, we find out the answer very quickly. Emily had became a hermit. She was never seen outside anymore, and no one ever saw the inside of her home. After her death, the first thing the towns women wanted to do was go inside her home. This adds to the mystery of Emily that Faulkner was trying to create. There, they find the corpse of Homer lying on the bed, with a pillow right beside him. In the end, we find out Emily had killed Homer, and had lain in bed with him every night until her own death. Now we see why Faulkner is placed in the "Southern Gothic" gategory, and where the use of the "grotesque" charachter came into play. Please feel free to comment with any questions or comments about this story.

What is Southern Gothic Literature?

What is it about the grotesque that pulls us in so much when we read it? It seems that for many many people, if the story does not have a disturbing twist to it, we're simply not interested. If there is a choice between reading about something factual, like a lion, or reading about an insane fictional serial killer, most of us would chose the killer. I am one of those who likes the weird and somewhat "crazy" stories. One of the best ways to find these is to simply make your way to the "Southern Gothic" genre of literature. Many writers in this category tend to focus on finding that true epiphany at some point in the story. The twist is that they normally use a character that keeps you interested because they are odd in some way or another. It could be their appearance, how they think, etc. I would like to talk about a few of my favorite writers and their works, and try to help others see how they fall into the "Southern Gothic" category.