In O’Conner’s “The Artificial Nigger” the essences of prejudice and degradation are captured to a great extent. Reality shows us with needless consistency people who need to feel better about themselves and only achieve it by being better than someone else. Mr. Head, the grandfather, is an example of one of these people. He is in competition with seemingly everyone he encounters. Racism is just one of the forms he utilizes to demean others, while elevating his own self-image. O’Conner’s depiction of a southern, prejudice, and close-minded person goes into the extreme depths of what constitute