I don’t recall. Flannery was distressed with the nihilism she saw. They still do this today, the art world. For example— WHY does “Forrest Gump” have to be a retard, slow witted, but somehow, as such, imbued with deep personal affection and character for people— as if, somehow, intelligent (unhandicapped) people cannot have the same beliefs. By making Forrest “not right” it provides them the opening to make beautiful human heroism and love OK... because that, to the artsie fartsie crowd, is only seen in the defectives.
Bugged me for years— always a Southern retard, or slow speaking or... well name the stereotype that “sells”
That goes back to the Noble Savage or Holy Fool ideas of the Romantics.