The Role of Poverty in American Literature: Pragmatic and Stylistic Insights from the Short Stories of Flannery O'Connor and Eudora Welty

Abstract

Poverty is an extraodrinary important and crucial issue in American literature, directly connected with the complex social, political, and economic history of the 19^th- centry America. The topic obviously depicts the struggles of individuals and communities of that epoch which influences the material deprivation of people, as well as their psychological and emotional states in  their lives, dreams, and sense of identity. Consequently, literature is a key instrument for depicting these key issues and presenting them to the reader through carefully crafted literary works.

Regarding the theme of poverty, we have chosen two prominent American writers of 20th-century literature—Flannery O'Connor and Eudora Welty—who are renowned for their powerful portrayals of the American South. Readers can easily recognize the issues of poverty, social class, and the struggles of individuals living in economically challenging circumstances in their works. Their characteristic portrayal of exposing these issues attracts immediate attention. For our study, we have selected two short stories: "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty and "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" by Flannery O'Connor. In both stories, the theme of poverty is obviously expressed and trasmitted with the help of rich stylistic techniques and pragmatic approaches.

Consequently, this manuscript aims to investigate how poverty is depicted in the works of Eudora Welty ("A Worn Path") and Flannery O'Connor ("The Life You Save May Be Your Own") by analyzing both the pragmatic and stylistic (literary devices and techniques) aspects of their writings. Our analysis focuses on understanding how these authors use their characteristic styles to illustrate the economic struggles of their characters and to highlight the broader implications of poverty within the context of American Southern literature.