
“The Enduring Chill” is a Southern short story by Flannery O’Conner where the main character, Asbury, adversely is portrayed as an antagonist rather than the protagonist. As the story progresses, Asbury struggles with a certain disease which he believes will lead him to his death and finally rid him of the terrible life he supposedly lives. Throughout the story, there are many instances of weather imagery and the appearance of the sun and moon. These beautiful, well-crafted descriptions serve as a stark contrast to the remainder of the book which consists of rude and often offensive dialogue. Thus, the sky and winter imagery play a crucial role in reflecting the mood and condition of Asbury as well as further providing the reader with images related to an “Enduring Chill.”

    The story essentially begins with a graceful description of the sky. “The sky was a chill gray and a startling white-gold sun, like some strange potentate from the east, was rising beyond the black woods that surrounded Timberboro.” Asbury’s character most resembles the description of the sky “chill gray” and the “black woods.” Not only does this create a melancholy setting, but it also closely resembles death, which is exactly how Asbury feels. Asbury believes he will die due to his sickness but still continues to be a rude and arrogant person to his mother and sister. It is interesting though, that O’Conner puts in the magnificent image of the “startling white-gold sun, like some strange potentate from the east.” The white-gold sun seems to be representative of some sort of deity or even God. This of course contrasts, against “chill gray” Asbury seeing as he openly admits to not being a Christian. On the other hand, Asbury does make “Art” his god: “He had failed his god, Art, but he had been a faithful servant and Art was sending him Death.” Asbury believes that his purpose was to serve “Art” and even though he was faithful, he was being sent to die. Therefore, there inherently seems to be an opposition between “Art”, the “strange potentate” and Asbury, the “chill gray” sky.

  One of the most prominent images in regard to winter is that of the bird. The image of the bird also serves a contradiction with Asbury as a character and does so in one argument with his mother. He claims to have been a “faithful servant” to his god but he yells at his mother “I have no imagination. I have no talent. I can’t create. I have nothing but the desire for these things. Why didn’t you kill that too? Woman, why did you pinion me?” However, later on in the story, Asbury is said to have imagined “a fierce bird with spread wings and tail” from water leaks that had dried on his ceiling. The bird has an icicle in its beak and many other icicles suspended from its wings and tail. This bird had apparently bothered and scared him since Asbury was young. Asbury even “had often had the illusion that it was in motion and about to descend mysteriously and set the icicle on his head.” In this instance, the bird is similar to that of peace that is shown in the Bible. Instead of a dove with an olive branch, O’Conner describes a fierce bird with an icicle in its beak. Therefore, this may represent the Holy Ghost and the idea of Christianity that Asbury so earnestly rejects. However, the icicle itself could represent the “enduring chill” that Asbury has to endure for the rest of his life. The fact that the bird is always in his imagination, in his room, flying down to touch his head with the cold icicle could in fact equate to the sickness that never will leave him and will constantly come back to torture him. 

The last imagery of the sky in “The Enduring Chill” directly demonstrates to the reader how Asbury’s life will culminate. Dr. Block finally diagnoses Asbury with undulant fever, a sickness that will remain with him until the day he truly dies. As he stares out the window he sees, “A blinding red-gold sun moved serenely from under a purple cloud. Below it the treeline was black against the crimson sky. It formed a brittle wall, standing as if it were the frail defense he had set up in his mind to protect him from what was coming.” The treeline again is described as black, obviously a gloomy color, and represents Asbury and his determination as his life ends as an artist. It is a weak and “frail defense” because he knows that what is to come is a lifetime of pain and suffering because not only will he be a failed artist, he will not be able to die and will have to endure his terrible sickness.

Winter imagery is used throughout “The Enduring Chill,” however, the image of the icicle in the bird’s beak perfectly encapsulates not only Asbury’s condition, but also his stance on organized religion. Also, whether on purpose or not, Flannery O’Conner begins and ends “The Enduring Chill” with grandiose portrayals of the sky that relate to Asbury’s character. The portrayals also show how he changes as he believes he will die at the beginning of the story but comes to the conclusion at the end that he will live, but with a horrendous illness. The image of the Holy Ghost and spiritual references also are depicted and occur greatly in “The Enduring Chill.” However, something that cannot simply be overlooked is the ending of the story: “But the Holy Ghost, emblazoned in ice instead of fire, continued, implacable, to descend.” O’Conner quite obviously describes the Holy Ghost not surrounded in fire, as is common in the Bible, but in ice, again a reference to the “Enduring Chill.” Thus, this image of the cold persists and again unrelentingly descends on Asbury, seemingly torturing him for the rest of his life.
