The Displaced Person by Flannery O'Connor
"The Displaced Person" by Flannery O'Connor is a short story that delves into themes of displacement and alienation through the experiences of various characters on a Southern farm. The narrative centers on Mr. Guizac, a Polish émigré who arrives with his family seeking refuge and a new life. As he assimilates into the farm community, his presence challenges the status quo, causing unease among other farmworkers, particularly Mrs. Shortley and Mrs. McIntyre. Mrs. Shortley perceives Guizac as a threat to her family's livelihood, while Mrs. McIntyre initially views him as a potential asset but later becomes increasingly wary of his foreignness. The story unfolds in three parts, highlighting the differing perspectives on displacement and community. Ultimately, the climax reveals the tragic consequences of fear and exclusion, culminating in Guizac's death, which serves as a poignant commentary on the complexities of belonging and the human tendency to reject the unfamiliar. O'Connor’s exploration encourages readers to reflect on the broader implications of displacement, both personal and societal, in a culturally sensitive manner.
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The Displaced Person by Flannery O'Connor
First published: 1954
Type of plot: Psychological
Time of work: After World War II
Locale: The rural southern United States
Principal Characters:
Mrs. McIntyre , the owner of a farmMr. and Mrs. Shortley , white farmworkersMr. Guizac , a Polish emigrant who comes to work on Mrs. McIntyre's farmFather Flynn , a local priest
The Story
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.
In the first part, the idea of displacement is introduced through the character of Guizac, a Polish émigré who comes to Mrs. McIntyre's farm with his family after escaping from his native country. Mrs. Shortley, a farmworker with her husband on Mrs. McIntyre's farm, views Guizac as a foreigner who does not belong. His name is strange—she pronounces it "Gobblehook"—and he speaks a strange language. Because of her limited vision, she sees Guizac not only as a stereotype but also as a threat, for he endangers both the predictability of their lives and the security of their jobs. Guizac is, after all, far more efficient and skilled than her husband, Chancey. When she overhears Mrs. McIntyre telling the priest that she will be giving the Shortleys notice that they are to be replaced—displaced—by the Guizacs, Mrs. Shortley decides to pack up her family and depart before Mrs. McIntyre has the chance to fire them. Leaving the farm, Mrs. Shortley has her second dramatic inner vision (the first was immediately before she overheard Mrs. McIntyre's conversation). This final, mysterious, personal vision destroys Mrs. Shortley and leaves her family dumbfounded: "They didn't know that she had had a great experience or ever been displaced in the world from all that belonged to her."
The second part of the story focuses on Mrs. McIntyre's vision, which, unlike the ultimately enlarging vision of Mrs. Shortley, is a gradually restricting view of Guizac. When Guizac first arrives and demonstrates his farming skills and efficiency, Mrs. McIntyre is delighted, believing that Guizac is her "salvation." His redemptive qualities, however, escape her notice when he arranges for one of the black farmworkers to pay for the transportation of Guizac's cousin to the United States. In return for transportation, the cousin would be married to the farmworker. When Mrs. McIntyre learns of this arrangement, her anger overtakes her earlier delight, and she repeats, with new emphasis, her earlier adage: "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't know." She knows the white farmworkers; she knows the black farmworkers; she does not know the ultimate implications of life with the Polish farmworker. Mrs. McIntyre decides that he is "extra," that he does not fit in, that he "upsets the balance." Estranging herself from the Polish D.P., she becomes increasingly displaced, separating herself from her place and her help. She becomes desperate and cooperates in a desperate action.
This action occurs in the third part of the story, after Mr. Shortley returns to the farm and systematically speaks out about Guizac's foreignness. He announces his dislike for foreigners because, in the war, he saw what they were like. As he recalls, "none of them were like us," and, in fact, one man who threw a hand grenade at him "had had little round eye-glasses exactly like Mr. Guizac's." Although Mrs. McIntyre recognizes the problem with that logic because Guizac is a Pole and not a German, the general unwillingness to accept the foreigner persists. Mrs. McIntyre, Mr. Shortley, and the blacks—all fearful that they will be displaced by the D.P.—are united by their desire to rid themselves of this "devil" whom they do not know.
In the final scene of the story, Guizac is killed by a runaway tractor. The death appears to be caused by the machine, but O'Connor suggests another cause: Perhaps Mrs. McIntyre, Mr. Shortley, and the black farmworkers caused the death because they did nothing to stop the machine. Because all of their eyes had "come together in one look that froze them in collusion forever," perhaps the displaced survivors really destroyed the displaced victim.
Bibliography
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