More than a few critics of Flannery O'Connor usually avoided commenting on her use of African American characters but instead focused on some aspects of a religious theme. What the critics did not realize was that O'Connor deliberately placed those African American characters in her stories to bring home the point about Southern racial culture she wanted underscored. Many of Flannery O'Connor's characters seemingly do not know or fully understand the culture in which they live; they only know that deprived of their culture, they would feel uncomfortable and insecure. The culture in question is called Southern racial culture, and it embodies the attitude of white supremacy and control. The power of this supremacy and control comes from living with or in conjunction with people who are viewed as inferior. In Flannery O'Connor, Southern Racial Culture and African American Characters, the reader of O'Connor's short fiction that includes African American characters and see how their presence influences the lives of the European American characters. Flannery O'Connor, Southern Racial Culture and African American Characters look at each short story separately and comments of the African American characters, what they say, and why they do or do not speak. This work does not tell or retell the stories but comments of the African American characters and how they figure into O'Connor's views of southern culture.