Upon first reading, one could believe that Mrs. May is a widow trying to desperately to manage a rather run down farm so she can provide for her family. She is plagued by irresponsible help and sons that show much contempt for her. The reader feels sorry for Mrs. May because it seems that she is carrying a tremendous burden.

ot until an extensive analysis does one find that Mrs. May is truly a brittle, superficial woman trying to hold on to her beauty. In the third paragraph, Mrs. May's attempt to hold on to beauty is expressed. "For a second she waited...Green rubber curlers sprouted neatly from her forehead and her face beneath them was smooth as concrete with an egg-white paste that drew the wrinkles out while slept." Mrs. May is trying to look like something that is impossible to create. She will never be young again, but she still insists on wasting her life to attempt the goal. Even her name "May" symbolizes youth and springtime. May, a month filled with joy and fertility is sadly the antithesis of Mrs. May.

Again, Mrs. May does not deserve the sympathy she obtained in the first reading. She is a nasty, cruel,

Some common words found in the essay are:
Flannery O'Conner's, Greenleafs Greenleafs, Oh Jesus, hold beauty, takes bulls goring, takes bulls, bulls goring, reader feels,
Approximate Word count = 544
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)