Greenleaf

Greenleaf can refer to:

Places

In the United States:

People

Other

Greenleaf (short story)

"Greenleaf" is a short story by Flannery O'Connor. It was written in 1956 and published in 1965 in her short story collection Everything That Rises Must Converge. O'Connor finished the collection during her final battle with lupus. She died in 1964, just before her final book was published. A devout Roman Catholic, O'Connor often used religious themes in her work.

Plot summary

Mrs. May owns a farm on which she hires Mr. Greenleaf to work because her sons are not interested in farm work. To her dismay, both live at home and are unmarried. One sells insurance to African Americans while the other is a scholar and teacher at a university. Both Mrs. May and Mr. Greenleaf's wife, Mrs. Greenleaf, consider themselves Christians. Mrs. May, however, has a somewhat smug morality based upon outward success, while Mrs. Greenleaf secretly practices faith healing and recognizes herself as a sinner. When no one is nearby, Mrs. Greenleaf prays aloud that Jesus "stab her in the heart," implying that he must change her sinful heart. The Greenleafs' twin sons are decorated World War II veterans who both own farms. Considered successful, they are married to French women whom they met during the war, and they each have three children.

Greenleaf (automobile)

The Greenleaf was an automobile manufactured in Lansing, Michigan by the Greenleaf Cycle Company in 1902. The Greenleaf was a light surrey that was powered by a two-cylinder horizontal engine that developed 10 hp at 700 rpm.

References