Essay Sample on Flannery O’Connor’s “Greenleaf”: A Tale of Contrasts and Control

Flannery O’Connor’s “Greenleaf” showcases the Old South’s stereotypical narrow-mindedness and religious influence by describing two families coexisting on a farm. As a whole, the Greenleaf family exudes dedication, devotion, and faithfulness much to the chagrin of Mrs. May, the main character. Their behavior directly opposes Mrs. May’s personality, leading her to be intensely bitter towards them. By narrating this tale with figurative story elements like foreshadowing, contrasts, irony, and symbolism, O’Connor develops the themes of control, prejudice, grace, and faith.

Throughout the story, Mrs. May continually strives for more control over the actions of her family, the Greenleafs, and the bull that has been loitering on her property. She views her children with a lens of disappointment, knowing that the Greenleaf boys are far more successful. She despises how the Greenleafs conduct themselves as they also seem to do exactly the opposite of what she desires, for instance when the Greenleaf sons fail to apprehend the bull. This act infuriates Mrs. May and leads her to force Mr. Greenleaf to help her shoot the bull, saying “‘Go get your gun, Mr. Greenleaf,’… ‘Ain't nobody ever ast me to shoot my boys' own bull!’ he said” (O’Connor 20). The boys cannot control the bull, and neither can Mrs. May. The downfall of the so-called protagonist embodies many of her character traits, including a lack of control. In her attempt to end the bull, she is ultimately killed herself. O’Connor illustrates this point when she states, “the bull had buried his head in her lap, like a wild tormented lover... One of his horns sank until it pierced her heart and the other curved around her side and held her in an unbreakable grip” (O’Connor 23). “Greenleaf” tackles many topics, including futile attempts to gain control of one’s surroundings.

Flannery O’Connor also covers ideas of prejudice and superiority in “Greenleaf”. In addition to her controlling nature, Mrs. May views the Greenleafs as being undeserving of their circumstances, thinking that the “Greenleaf boys had risen in the world… because she had given their father employment when no one else would have him” (2). She does not seem to understand how the other family is better off than she and her sons are, with one of her children selling insurance to people of color and the other simply being an “intellectual” (4). This is likely due to her assumptions of them. Mrs. May sees herself as superior to the Greenleafs. Symbolically, the bull represents those less genetically successful and the working class; the symbol portraying this group of individuals highlights the brutal way Mrs. May views the Greenleafs. She declares that the scrub bull would be “ruining her herd before morning” (2), meaning his lack of pedigree would destroy her genetically superior herd. In parallel, the Greenleafs’ seemingly normal, hard-working lifestyle disturbs Mrs. May’s traditional way of life. Furthermore, O’Connor’s use of the name “Greenleaf” is symbolic. Green leaves often figuratively mean abundance and a metaphorical peak of life. Mrs. May’s precursory judgment of the Greenleaf family harshly contradicts the diligent, earnest reality of the group. 

In “Greenleaf” resides yet another theme that is cultivated through comparisons, irony, and foreshadowing: faith. An element of faith can be found throughout the short story, with mentions of Mrs. Greenleaf’s unshakable belief in Jesus along with Mrs. May’s apparent lack. Mrs. May believes the matriarch of the Greenleaf family “didn’t even like to think” (2), finding her zealous beliefs to be irrational and detrimental to the execution of her obligations to her family. According to Mrs. May, the woman is overweight, a poor gardener, and does not ensure that her children were presentable (5). Mrs. Greenleaf does not care about how she appears to others, directly contrasting with Mrs. May’s main priorities. Mrs. May thinks that “Jesus, should be kept inside the church building like other words inside the bedroom. She was a good Christian woman with a large respect for religion, though she did not…believe any of it was true” (6). O’Connor portrays many of her unlikeable characters, including Mrs. May, as lacking in faith and focusing on appearances in an effort to promote a more personal relationship with God and Jesus. 

There is also strong religious symbolism in “Greenleaf” which contributes to its themes of faith and grace; O’Connor’s utilization of the sun and bull as symbols allude to Mrs. May’s disbelief and Jesus. When she is told that the bull pestering her belongs to the Greenleafs’ sons, Mrs. May looks out her window at “a black wall of trees with a sharp sawtooth edge that held off the indifferent sky” (10). This scene compares to Mrs. May’s mentality of faith, which consists of putting up figurative walls between herself and God. On the other hand, the Greenleaf’s home is brightly lit by the sun, demonstrating the strong connection between the family and their deity (12). Similarly, the bull represents both a Jesus-like figure and grace. O’Connor describes the bull with attributes commonly associated with Jesus Christ, including a crown of dead vegetation. For instance, the author states that the creature “lowered his head and shook it and the wreath slipped down to the base of his horns where it looked like a menacing prickly crown” (2). This quote demonstrates a tie between the bull and Jesus at his crucifixion, at which time he wore a similar adornment; by including such a connection, the underlying theme of faith is strengthened. The connection between Jesus and the bull reaches its most tangible at “Greenleaf”’s resolution when Mrs. May finally receives grace, albeit at the end of the bull’s horns. At this moment, Mrs. May appears to discover the err of her lifestyle as she “had the look of a person whose sight has been suddenly restored but finds the light unbearable” (23). Mrs. May first viewed the bull as being a dark presence in her life, alluding to her view of the Christian Savior before her demise and following reception of grace. She regards the bull as “blackened” (1), an “iron shadow” (19), and “dark among the spotted cows” (21). Despite the grace she later gratefully accepts, Mrs. May’s description of the bull allows the reader to observe her first understanding of Jesus. The usage of stark comparisons and striking symbols allows the reader to grasp the religious undertones and themes of faith and grace in “Greenleaf”. 

Through the employment of figurative language, O’Connor effectively conveys various themes to her readers in her short story, “Greenleaf”. The disparity between Mrs. May and the Greenleafs illuminates several of these, such as control and prejudice. Mrs. May perceives herself as superior to the family and cannot comprehend the difference between their more successful lives and her own. Consequently, she attempts to control their actions and belittles them. Likewise, the themes of faith and grace can be seen in the differences in the two families’ beliefs. The author also uses numerous symbols in her work to further these underlying messages. The symbolism seen in the Greenleafs, the bull, and scenery all aid in helping the reader to understand the points O’Connor attempts to illustrate. Despite the older, more somber feel of “Greenleaf”, one can learn much about the past of the American South and its core priorities from the piece.

Work Cited

O'Connor, Flannery. “Greenleaf by Flannery O'Connor.docx.” Abbotsford Christian School, https://myacs.abbotsfordchristian.com/class/tbezlen/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc=/class/tbezlen/Lists/HandoutsAndMaterials/Short%20Story/Greenleaf%20by%20Flannery%20O%27Connor.docx&action=default. Accessed 8 February 2022.