The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor

Head says 'They ain't got enough real ones here. Along the way there, they pass a plaster cast of a Black figure with a watermelon adorning a lawn fence from which the story gets its title. Finally, they encounter a man walking his dogs, who points them to the nearest train station. Nelson feels betrayed and loses respect for the grandfather.Įventually, they end up in a wealthy suburb, which seems strangely deserted. When the gathering crowd demands to know who is responsible for the boy, Mr. Panicking, he races down the street and runs into an older woman, knocking her down. When he wakes up, he has lost sight of his grandfather. Taking a short rest, Nelson falls asleep. The situation is embarrassing for both Nelson and his grandfather. She suggests they take the street car back to the train station, but they do not know how to get on it. Head finally acquiesces to Nelson's requests and allows the boy to ask a Black woman for directions. Not wanting to ask anyone there for directions, Mr. They get lost, and walk through a predominantly Black section of town.

Head shows Nelson the less-impressive side of the city Nelson claims that they lead to Hell. Nelson is sure he will enjoy the city, but his grandfather tells him that he is naive, and pokes fun at him during their early-morning train ride into town, when Nelson sees a Black person for the first time.Īfter seeing some impressive buildings and shops, Mr. Head is taking Nelson to visit Atlanta for the first time since Nelson's birth. Head and his orphaned ten-year-old grandson, Nelson, live in the Georgia countryside. Like most of her other works, the story reflects O'Connor's Roman Catholic beliefs and acts as a parable. The title refers to statues popular in the Jim Crow-era Southern United States, depicting grotesque minstrelsy characters. It was published in 1955 in her short story collection A Good Man Is Hard to Find. ' The Artificial Nigger' is a short story by Flannery O'Connor.

Short story by Flannery O'Connor The Artificial Nigger

The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor