By comparing Flannery O'Connor and Emily Dickinson, we can see profound differences in their themes, ironies and settings.
             O'Connor thinks that in order to create a theme the story must not be about the theme itself but about things relating to it. For example, in one occasion she said that the meaning of a story must be embodied. She thinks that if the reader can pinpoint what the theme is, than the story wasn't a very good one. It takes a story much more than reading to understand it. It takes analization and a deep search for the meaning of symbols. O'Connor also believes that a story is a way to express something that can't be explained in any other way. This is why themes are so important to choose. Her themes usually come from experienced meanings she has acquired in life, which is a way to help her develop themes more fully. Unlike O'Connor, who explains a theme throughout a story, Emily Dickinson thinks that themes should be expressed in the choice of words. Her themes arise from representations of experiences Dickinson got from her father's house. Though she too talks about personal experience, she also focuses on themes such as love, death, immortality, doubt and pain.
             Religion is the number one use of irony among the writings of both women. Both come from religious families but grew to express religion in different ways. O'Connor is very religious. She practices Christian Orthodoxy and views life through the redemption of Christ. O'Connor uses her beliefs in her works and many things symbolize religious meanings. Irony is shown when her characters say they're religious but are in reality not near it. A good example of one was a crooked bible salesman. It's the way that she uses religion in her stories that makes her irony so vivid. Dickinson on the other hand, is not religious, but is spiritual. She remembers waking up to a family th
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