Gothic vs. Southern Gothic

     Gothic literature is a very unique style of writing. All Gothic works can be characterized by very specific elements that they include. Examples of a few of these unique elements are horror elements, supernatural events , ghosts, villains, mysterious castles, and crumbling ruins. As these stories began to evolve, authors started to introduce more psychological aspects, like in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, where Robert Louis Stevenson intricately describes the horrors associated with a split personality disorder. Gothic literature also often illuminates some of the distrust and darker sides that are often associated with the Catholic faith. (Buzzle.com)
     Southern Gothic is often referred to as a sub-genre of its parent, Gothic literature. Much like Gothic literature, the Southern Gothic includes supernatural, ironic, and unusual events to help shape and mold the base of its story line. However, unlike the traditional Gothic writings, Southern Gothic novels focus more on highlighting social issues like racism and white supremacy but in a much more subtle way. They would use scenarios such as a damsel in distress or a heroic knight and twist them into a grotesque or deeply flawed character. This allowed the authors to have more of a range of what they could and could not say because they were then highlighting trouble Southern sociological issues, but not in a very blatant and obvious way. (Wikipedia.com)
     Eudora Welty's "The Petrified Man" is classified as a Southern Gothic short story because of her portrayal of the women's changing roles in society. Leota, who is married and works to support her bum of a husband, demonstrates an inversion of the typically accepted male and female roles. Mrs. Fletcher is more of a representation of the traditional woman. She is unhappily married, pregnant, and doesn't like kids, yet she remains in her marriage because that is what is socially expected of her. Mrs. Pike represents a more positive image of a modern woman. She is the sole source of economic power in her marriage, and she also has this strange type of intuition that she possesses. It is clear that the other women in the story are a bit jealous of her.
     In Flannery O'Connor's story "Greenleaf" we also see evidence for it being considered a Southern Gothic work. For example, Mrs. May who proclaims herself as a devout Christian is actually a hypocritical, pathetic snob. Basically someone we might refer to as a "Sunday Christian". Mr Greenleaf, one of the men in the story, is actually lazy, uneducated, and seems very shifty all of the time. This is completely opposite of how Southern gentlemen are usually portrayed in Romantic literature. Yet, Mr. Greenleaf is paired with one of the most positive characters in the story, Mrs. Greenleaf. Mrs. Greenleaf is very strong in her Christian faith and treats it as a daily ritual and spiritual faith telling, which is how all Christians try to portray themselves.