The narrative weaves a tapestry of moral blindness and the quest for exoneration through the interactions of its characters. Central to the story is the chasm between Steve’s desperate need for absolution and Lee Roy’s apparent inability to grasp the enormity of the moral wrongdoing inflicted upon him by white men. This gap underscores a broader theme of moral blindness, as Steve struggles to reconcile the identity of the black man before him with Keela, who was once exploited as a sideshow attraction. Meanwhile, Max’s apathetic stance towards the moral transgression highlights a pervasive indifference that compounds the injustice.

Eudora Welty, drawing upon a chilling real-life account, crafted this narrative after an encounter at a fair. There, she heard a man recount the disturbing tale of a diminutive black man in a carnival forced to eat live chickens. The grotesque nature of the story left such an indelible mark on Welty that she felt compelled to translate it into fiction, marking it as the only true story she ever adapted. This narrative not only serves as a potent commentary on the moral failings of individuals blinded by their own prejudices but also invites readers to confront the unsettling realities of exploitation and complicity.

The story of Little Lee Roy unfolds as a harrowing account of human cruelty, yet it transcends mere retelling of injustices. Author Eudora Welty delves deep into the narrative, recognizing more than just a singular instance of mankind's inherent viciousness. In Lee Roy, she perceives the embodiment of a mythical outcast, a figure thrust into the role of society’s scapegoat—bearing the burdens of collective barbarity. Through Welty's lens, Lee Roy morphs from a mere victim into a sanctified innocent, encapsulating a powerful symbol of exploited virtue. In this transformation, Welty elevates him into a mythic status, illustrating not only his suffering but also his profound significance as a reflection of societal failings.

Steve's struggle with perception and justification unveils a deeper narrative reflecting the southern white man's historical guilt over slavery. His inability to see things clearly and his rationalization that events had to unfold as they did mirror the mindset of white slave owners who either denied awareness of the black man's suffering or rationalized it as a predetermined social order. This psychological evasion is poignantly illustrated in the story, where Little Lee Roy, a black man, becomes a tragic symbol of exploitation.

The character of the geek, or sideshow freak, who is also black, magnifies this allegory of guilt and justification. By casting Little Lee Roy in this dehumanized role, the narrative underscores the habitual scapegoating by which the southern white man projected his own darker instincts onto the black man. Through this symbolic representation, Welty explores the intricate entanglements of race, guilt, and moral justification, providing a window into the broader, complex dynamics of racial exploitation. It is through this lens that the story critiques the historical tendencies to obscure responsibility and deflect internal moral conflicts onto those already marginalized.

The theme of using the black man as a scapegoat finds an intriguing parallel in the sideshow freak, who similarly serves as a societal scapegoat. While one might initially attribute the human penchant for witnessing freak shows to mere curiosity about abnormalities, this explanation falls short of capturing the deeper psychological needs at play. The allure of freakishness extends beyond curiosity; it taps into a fundamental, albeit primal, cathartic urge within spectators. People willingly pay to witness bizarre acts, such as performers biting the heads off chickens, driven by a desire to reaffirm their own sense of normalcy through...