Symbolism In Revelation By Flannery O Connor
The short story “Revelation” by Flannery O'Connor conveys the story of two random groups of people in a doctor’s waiting room. The main character, Mrs. Turpin, is a very religious and self-opinionated woman who passes judgment upon African-Americans, poor people, and other people of her community she believes are beneath her, economically and morally. The theme of the story is “do not judge a book by its cover.” The appearance of a person does not always depict the person inside. What a person looks like does not tell the personality or morals of a person. In “Revelation” by Flannery O’Connor the author depicts racism, a significant source of symbolism, and social conflicts. The main character in the story is actually prejudiced and makes
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The teenage girl really dislikes Mrs. Turpin from the beginning of the story to the end of the story. Her hatred develops throughout the story. Such as, Mary Grace is angry at Mrs. Turpin so she throws a book at Mrs. Turpin. The book “struck her directly over her left eye” (O’Connor 393). This book symbolizes her hatred toward Mrs. Turpin. The sun and sky are vital symbols for O'Connor, and here they specify the steps of Mrs. Turpin's acceptance and understanding of the revelation. Before she tells the black farm hands what Mary Grace said to her, as she thinks about it, "the sun was getting whiter and whiter, blanching the sky overhead so that the leaves of the hickory tree were black in the face of it"(O’Connor 396). As she walks toward the hog pen to rinse down the animals, "The sun was a deep yellow now like a harvest moon..."(O’Connor 397). The sun is God revealing to Mrs. Turpin the error of her ways before it is too late. Moreover, Mary Grace called Mrs. Turpin a wart hog, and the comparison deliberates deeply on Mrs. Turpin's thoughts. However, she is like the hogs, beneath individuals, because she is incapable to realize that all people are equal before God. The story suggests that only God can judge other people. Furthermore, the different types of people in the doctor’s office symbolize the different types of social classes. For example, the white-trashy woman
The teenage girl really dislikes Mrs. Turpin from the beginning of the story to the end of the story. Her hatred develops throughout the story. Such as, Mary Grace is angry at Mrs. Turpin so she throws a book at Mrs. Turpin. The book “struck her directly over her left eye” (O’Connor 393). This book symbolizes her hatred toward Mrs. Turpin. The sun and sky are vital symbols for O'Connor, and here they specify the steps of Mrs. Turpin's acceptance and understanding of the revelation. Before she tells the black farm hands what Mary Grace said to her, as she thinks about it, "the sun was getting whiter and whiter, blanching the sky overhead so that the leaves of the hickory tree were black in the face of it"(O’Connor 396). As she walks toward the hog pen to rinse down the animals, "The sun was a deep yellow now like a harvest moon..."(O’Connor 397). The sun is God revealing to Mrs. Turpin the error of her ways before it is too late. Moreover, Mary Grace called Mrs. Turpin a wart hog, and the comparison deliberates deeply on Mrs. Turpin's thoughts. However, she is like the hogs, beneath individuals, because she is incapable to realize that all people are equal before God. The story suggests that only God can judge other people. Furthermore, the different types of people in the doctor’s office symbolize the different types of social classes. For example, the white-trashy woman