The Good Shepherd and the Black Sheep: Paradoxical Irony in “The Lame Shall Enter First”

When thou doest alms, let not thy left wad know what thy right run doeth counsels the Bible, thus setting the precedent for wholly closely-meaning members of western society concerning their charitable intentions (Matt. 6. 3). Hu musical compositionitys motivation to aid others, disregarding of the outcome, is oft times spotted by the subtle struggle among selflessness and selfishness. Flannery OConnor captures this classic conflict between good and vileness in Southern Grotesque fashion through her characters, the ally Sheppard and his foil, Rufus Johnson, in comment2 The gimpy Shall enrol First. comment3 Challenging the literal paradigm of light and bluishness, OConnor weaves unitedly well crafted exposure, cryptic dialogue, and both biblical and literary allusion in this inconclusive biz and, by way of Sheppard and the antithetical Rufus, blends the black and etiolated of Christian dogma into an ironic grey. The contrast of light and dark begins with the descriptio n and characterization of the apparently angelic comment4 Sheppard, and continues with the introduction of the obscure and ominous Rufus Johnson. OConnor is not upstart(prenominal) in her description and development of either character.Sheppards white hair and nimbus cloud are overt references to his protagonistic status as the humbugs do-gooder comment5 (Norton 371). The narrator continues on by lauding his charitable contribution to the community as a counselor-at-law and weekend volunteer for boys no one else cared about (372). The readers only sign clue toward Sheppards self-righteous mania is his deliberate, guilt-implying sermon towards Norton, his disconcerted and doomed son. It is not, however, until the arriver of the dim, drenched Rufus that seemingly stark white coat of Sheppard loses its untainted radiance. comment6 Johnson is literally cast as the black sheep from the moment he limps into the house in his soaking wet black suit (376). The ultimate personification of evil comes when he is physically compared directly to the perennial villian Adolf Hitler (378). His opaque character is genuine as dark as his appearance through his unending ungratefulness and spiteful words toward his supposed savior, Sheppard. The ambiguous dialogue between the dickens main characters continues to blur the line between the traditional literal belief of good versus evil and the authors own Grotesque version. comment7 OConnors use of foreshadowing and plot development through dialogue is essential to the work, and is much more manifest upon rereading it. Though Sheppards works are concrete and compassionate, his words are digest and empty. His answers to both Norton and Rufus come in rehearsed, logical explanations. comment8 Sheppards attempts to animate either tiddler about their future are thwarted by his own uncertainty. The clearest grammatical case of this comes from one of the most crucial sections of the story, when Sheppard fails to satisfy Norton s desire to know where his deceased mother is She doesnt exist . . Thats all I have to give you, . . . the loyalty (383). comment9 Where the good shepherd fails, the black sheep prevails. The dark character that Rufus is developed into shows an estimable assurity and for once a faint light flickers from behind the black sparkle that appeared in the boys eyes (375) as he describes the existence of heaven and conflagration to Norton, confirming that the boys mother is saved (383). Then, in one of the most obvious uses of foreshadowing in the story, Rufus goes on to tell Norton comment10 that Right now youd go where she is . . . but if you live long enough, youll go to hell (383). Once once again Sheppard and his voice of reason seem to grow grayer as he now tells Norton to close the window, as if to separate him from the stars and his newly found hope in the existence of his mother (383). Admittedly influenced by her orthodox Christian stage setting (408), OConnor scatters bo th biblical and assorted literal allusions throughout her story, creating somewhat of a parody of common Christian themes. The use of Sheppard as the name of the protagonist binds the character to some religious comparison immediately.This is only reinforced when Rufus pronounces piercingly He thinks hes Jesus Christ (381) comment11Another use of allusion with reference to Sheppard is Rufus comment12 crudely dead-on(prenominal) accusation of him as a big tin Jesus (395). uniform the forlorn tin man from The Wizard of Oz, Rufus statement argues that Sheppard is just as hollow as that empty, heartless shell of a man, regardless of his externally good whole kit and caboodle. Perhaps the most encompassing phrase in the story is OConnors allusion to the verse in St.Matthew quoted in the first paragraph. comment13 Repeated both at the beginning of the story and in his final appearance, Rufus declares that Sheppard dont know his left hand from his right (377, 395). Clearly OConnor is alluding to Sheppards selfish or misguided agenda well illustrated when he tells Norton of his desire to help the orphaned Rufus. Sheppards publicly done deeds are challenged by Rufus, the unwilling recipient of a well-meaning man going through the motions, yet craving some sort of reinforcer for his actions.The once polarized characters grow ever closer with the equalizing power of reality. The Lame Shall Enter First ends as abruptly as it begins. There is no releasing victory for the alleged comment14 good shepherd, only the agony of join defeat. Sheppards epiphany comes too late and the stark contrast that once distinguished him from the dark object of his alms turns into the faded realization that he is no better than the beleaguered beneficiary.through and through OConnors strategic literary devices, deft character contrast, and parody of entrenched Christian values, the reader is left to digest and dissect the fact that maybe the built-in flock comment15 isnt worth one bl ack sheep. Between the black and white islands of moral certainty, good and evil, there lies a sea of ironic grey. workings Cited The King James Version. Great Britain Cambridge UP, 1996. OConnor, Flannery. The Lame Shall Enter First. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Eds. Jerome Beaty and J. capital of Minnesota Hunter. 7th ed. New York Norton, 1998. 371-414.