McIntyre seems sympathetic to the Guizac family and especially to Mr. Guizac who could efficiently operate all of the machinery with a great deal of expertise. Mrs. McIntyre believed that "getting him was the best day's work she had ever done in her life". She was so pleased with his work that she was satisfied to let others go because Mr. Guizac could handle most of the work and seemed to want to work, contrary to her belief that the others did not. Her opinion of him quickly changed however when she discovered that one of her Negro workers, Sulk, was paying Mr. Guizac three dollars a week in order to bring over Guizac's cousin under the premise of marrying Sulk. Mrs. McIntyre exclaims that "They"re all the same" indicating that Guizac is taking advantage of his cousin and her husband to be.
Despite Mrs. McIntyre's dislike of Guizac, she could still not bring herself to let him go although she had intended to several times. In the meantime, Mr. Shortley's return, after their family had left the farm believing they were to be fired because of Guizac's efficiency, began his slow vengeance against Guizac. He told the town of his version of the events at the farm and stated "Revenge is mine, saith the Lord". The fact that Guizac's death was intentional however remains debatable. While neither Shortley, Mrs. McIntyre nor the Negro could have foreseen the brake slipping on the tractor, none of them intervened in time to save Guizac before he was crushed to death. O"Connor writes that "She had felt her eyes and Mr. Shortley's eyes and the Negro's eyes come together in one look that froze them in collusion forever", which would indicate that their hesitation would bring about the accidental death of Guizac.
O'Connor is using violence for its shock value and it becomes the most vivid expression in this short story. Because violence is a vehicle for redemption in "The Displaced Person", O'Connor takes a seemingly secure world and turns it into a secular world with her use of violence.
