There is no freedom from the post-lapsarian world. The attributes of this fallen world are very important in O'Connor's tales. However, he chooses not to include all of his characters in these few words. Instead, he imbues his female characters with innocence and monist ideals. Ironically, O'Connor isolates them from the rest and gives them a pitiful image as he continues to mock their ways. The obliviousness and innocence of the characters are effortlessly destroyed in the post-lapsarian world due to their lack of foundation. O'Connor centers his stories on the attributes of the post-lapsarian world, which is the world after the creation of the "Forbidden Fruit". eaten in the Garden of Eden. The fact that these stories were written right after World War I also hindered the outcome. The carnage of war exemplifies the malevolent nature of O'Connor's characters. For example, in his story: "The Misfit", a mass massacre of an entire family occurs. After killing the last member of the family, the Misfit tells his assistant, “Take her off her and throw her where you threw the others” (O'Connor 22). The Misfit doesn't bother thinking about the massacre he just committed. This is a way of showing that such cruel and spiteful actions only take place in the evil of the post-Laspsarian world. Similarly, in "A Circle in the Fire," three boys take the liberty of entering Mrs. Cope's farm with no intention of leaving. Mrs. Cope not only welcomes the children, but is also very hospitable towards them. However, the mischievous and rude actions of these boys cause Mrs. Cope to feel obligated to leave. In response to the insult of being asked to leave, they decide to incinerate his farm. O'Connor creates these characters... in the middle of paper... out of their homes. The characters learn the hard way that there is no escape from reality, especially since they are part of it. This enlightenment is why their blissfully happy lives must be interrupted. Works Cited1. O'Connor, Flannery. A good man is hard to find and other stories. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1977. Print.2. Schaum, Melita. ""Erasing Angel": The Trickster Figure of Lucifer in Flannery O'Connor's Short Fiction." The literary journal of the south 33.1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of English, 2000. Web. July 12, 2010. .3. Sparrow, Stefano. "The Innocents by Flannery O'Connor." Flannery O'Connor: The Comforts of Home, Flannery O'Connor. Np, 22 July 2002. Web. 12 October. 2010. .