The Lame Shall Enter First

“The Lame Shall Enter First” was a much better story by Flannery O’Connor than her previous “Everything That Rises Must Converge”, in my opinion. One solid theme that particularly stood out to me was the idea of not fully appreciating something until it’s gone, which seems to be a particular folly of the human condition; we don’t fully appreciate the things in our life, little or big, until there is a stark contrast in the situation or a complete lack thereof. I find it pretty interesting that one of the main characters is so aptly named ‘Sheppard’, as in the biblical reference of someone who ‘Sheppard’s’ the weak from the valley of darkness.

Sheppard’s assumption that his child, Norton, is wasteful, unappreciative and selfish only comes from his complete immersion in the lives of children with nothing at the reformatory. The antagonistic character, Rufus Johnson, serves as a distraction from his own child whom has no path or direction in life, let-alone intelligence. But I believe this is only Sheppard’s view because he has put up figurative blinders in viewing his son and his behaviors; it is Sheppard’s own selfishness in the absolute need to be, in some way, the very reason for someone to have a perfect life, other than his own son. If Sheppard had showed half the interest in reforming Norton as he did in Johnson, the completely unnecessary and horrifying suicide of his son probably would not have occurred.