REVELATION

1. REVELATION [TEXT P. 376-390] “For me the meaning of life is centered in our Redemption by Christ and what I see in the world I see in its relation to that. I don’t think that this is a position that can be taken halfway.” ~Flannery O’Connor By: Flannery O’ Connor

2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: • Flannery O'Connor [born March 25, 1925 in Savannah, Georgia and died Aug. 3, 1964 in Milledgeville, Georgia] is a American writer who spent most of her life on her mother's farm, believing "there won't be any biographies of me because, for only one reason, lives spent between the house and the chicken yard do not make exciting copy". A devout Roman Catholic, she usually set her works in the rural South and often examined the relationship between the individual and God by putting her characters in “grotesque and extreme situations.” Her stories are challenging because her characters initially seem radically different from readers, but by the end of each story, they are somehow connected to us. Her characters struggle with spiritual questions in bizarre, incongruous situations. Some of her other notable works include A Good Man Is Hard to Find (1955) and Everything That Rises Must Converge (1965). At the age of 39, she died after struggling with lupus—a chronic disease in which immune system attacks its own cells.

3. Summary of the Story…(not that you need this because of course you read all 15 pages on your own) • Revelation begins in a doctor’s waiting room where Mrs. Turpin, the protagonist, enters and begins judging the occupants of the room. She places considerable emphasis on the rude, dirty child that is occupying an entire sofa. As there are no seats available, Mrs. Turpin feels that the boy “should have been told to move over and make room for the lady” (377). Mrs. Turpin’s rather self-righteous attitude develops throughout the story as the narrator continually reveals her thoughts. Mrs. Turpin begins to converse with the only “well-dressed” lady in the room and they soon arrive on the topic of negroes. Mrs. Turpin continually remarks about her own good fortune and disposition, thanking God for not making her a “nigger or white-trash or ugly” (382).

4. Summary cont… (I didn’t want to clutter the slide) • Throughout their conversations, a “fat girl of eighteen or nineteen” named Mary Grace has been glaring at them all over a book—significantly titled Human Development (378). The story reaches a climax when Mrs. Turpin loudly proclaims her thanks to the Lord causing Mary Grace to howl and throw her book at Mrs. Turpin. The doctor rushes in and sedates Mary Grace as she attempts to attack Mrs. Turpin. Just before she passes out, Mary Grace yells, “Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog” (385). For the remainder of the story, Mrs. Turpin interprets Mary Grace’s remark as a message from God and angrily refutes it. She seeks support from her Negros but is unsatisfied. The story finishes with Mrs. Turpin receiving a powerful vision while yelling at her hogs. “A visionary light settled in her eyes. She saw the streak as a vast swinging bridge extending upward from the earth through a field of living fire. Upon it a vast horde of souls were rumbling toward heaven” (390).

5. Some Significant Quotes… • “Violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace.”~Flannery O’Connor • “It was one thing to be ugly and another to act ugly” (379). • “Like a monumental statue coming to life, she bent her head slowly and gazed, as if through the very heart of mystery, down into the pig parlor…they appeared to pant with a secret life” (389). • “Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog” (385). • “I write the way I do because I am a Catholic.” ~Flannery O’Connor

6. Literary Terms: • Symbol - a person, object, or event that suggests more than its literal meaning • Conventional Symbol - a symbol that is widely recognized by a society or culture (ex. the Christian cross or the American flag) • Literary Symbol - a symbol that includes a traditional, conventional, or public meaning; can include a setting, character, action, object, name, or anything else in a work that maintains its literal significance while suggesting other meanings • Allegory- when a character, object, or incident indicates a single, fixed meaning

7. And Now, Your Favorite Part…QUESTIONS!!! Of course, please answer two of the following: AND… REMEMBER TO USE THE TEXT, your ideas are lovely but don’t just pull stuff out of the air...make sure you have some support! • 1. How was symbolism used in the story? Give at least one specific example. [If you want to be amazing, classify the symbolism specifically to one of the different types of symbolism we defined!] • 2. What was your overall opinion of Mrs. Turpin? Were there times in the story when you liked her or times when you didn’t? Could you relate to her? Why? • 3. What role did violence play in the story? Do you think such violence was necessary? Why or why not? • 4. What is the significance of the ending/Mrs. Turpin’s vision? • 5. How is the Southern setting important to the story? • 6. After reading Flannery O'Connor's background, how do her experiences or religious beliefs influence the story? • 7. Was there a moral to the story? What was it? • 8. Do you agree with this statement from the bio: “Her stories can be challenging because her characters often seem radically different from readers, but by the end of each story, they are somehow connected to us.” ??? Elaborate Please! We’re hoping to give some Pi grades!!! ~Megan and Rachel