Question 54
NECO
•
2018
•
LITERATURE_IN_ENGLISH
•
objective
Read the following passage from Flannery O'Connor's short story *A Good Man Is Hard to Find*:
"The grandmother clutched the paper bag of peanuts, her eyes flickering to the road ahead. The sudden flash of the car's headlights illuminated the dust‑filled air, and for a moment she saw herself reflected in the glass - an old woman, fragile, yet stubbornly holding onto a faded sense of propriety."
Identify the central theme of the story as suggested by this excerpt and discuss how O'Connor develops the theme through the use of symbolism.
Answer Options
A.
The central theme is the critique of modern technology's alienation; O'Connor uses the peanuts bag to represent consumerism and the car's headlights to illustrate the blinding effect of progress, thereby developing the theme.
B.
The central theme is the inevitability of fate and death; O'Connor uses the peanuts bag to symbolize the fleeting nature of life and the car's headlights to foreshadow the impending tragedy, thereby developing the theme.
Correct Answer
C.
The central theme is the clash between moral decay and the illusion of righteousness; O'Connor uses the peanuts bag to symbolize superficial concern and the car's headlights to expose the grandmother's fragile self‑image, thereby developing the theme.
D.
The central theme is the triumph of familial loyalty over individual selfishness; O'Connor uses the peanuts bag to symbolize generosity and the car's headlights to highlight the family's unity, thereby developing the theme.
Correct Answer
C
Correct Option:
The central theme is the clash between moral decay and the illusion of righteousness; O'Connor uses the peanuts bag to symbolize superficial concern and the car's headlights to expose the grandmother's fragile self‑image, thereby developing the theme.
About This Question
This is
Neco
2018
Literature In English
Question 54.
It is one of the
objective
questions from the
2018
Neco
Literature In English
examination.
Difficulty level:
Medium
.