The Displaced Person | The Displaced Person

At a glance:

Author: Flannery O’Connor
First Published: 1954
Type of Plot: Psychological
Time of Work: After World War II
Setting: The rural southern United States
Principal Characters: Mrs. McIntyre, Mr. and Mrs. Shortley, Mr. Guizac, Father Flynn
Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
Subjects: Prejudices or antipathies, World War II, Alienation, Immigration or emigration, Farms, farmers, or farming, Death or dying, Work or workers, Stereotypes, Technology
Locales: South (U.S.)

The title of this story suggests that it is about one displaced person. In fact, the tale is about several people who are displaced. In one character's words, “Displaced Persons . . . means they ain’t where they were born at and there's nowhere for them to go—like if you was run out of here and wouldn’t nobody have you.” To explore this idea of displacement, Flannery O’Connor divides her story into three parts, emphasizing Mrs. Shortley, then Mrs. McIntyre, and finally the displaced person, or D.P., who connects all the other D.P.'s, Mr. Guizac.

The Displaced Person | The Displaced Person

At a glance:

The Story

Join eNotes