A Circle in the Fire | A Test of Faith
Jane Hodges is a published fiction writer who has an interest in Southern literature. In the following essay, Hodges examines “A Circle of Fire” as a test of faith – a frequent theme in O’Connor’s short stories – for Mrs. Cope.
“A Circle in the Fire” visits themes found in other works by Flannery O’Connor: faith, resistance to change, and the power of a seemingly random or inevitable disaster to cause disruptive but necessary changes in characters’ belief systems. As in so much of O’Connor’s work, there is no question that the story’s characters have religious faith. However, whether their individualized versions of faith can protect or sustain them during ordinary or difficult times comes into question. Ironically, the protagonist, Mrs. Cope, who believes she has the most intellectual and...
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