Introduction
The short story “Revelation” by Flannery O’Connor discloses the imperfections of the central characters through a simple situation. The author illustrates human vices by implementing different characters and their attitudes toward judgment and racism into the text. Good actions with wrong intentions can have negative consequences. The author illustrates the problems of judgment, racism, and grace through the use of symbolism in each character.
Author Background
Flannery O’Connor was a significant American writer and a diligent editor. The author was an only child in her family, and she excelled academically at school. However, Flannery’s writing success began after her father’s death, and this process helped her cope with her loss (Carroll).
She was stubborn and believed she was born for something better and that writing was her passion. Despite the critique of her first novel, Wise Blood, Flannery continued to write, and her further works were written (Carroll). Women continued to write until they were admitted to the hospital.
Short Story Summary
“Revelation” tells a story about a situation near a doctor’s cabinet, where many people started discussing different themes. The author tried to reveal the central human vices. The main protagonist, Mrs. Turpin, talked about race and agitating against others.
Then, suddenly, Mary Grace threw a book into her face. The girl said that Mrs. Turpin was a wart hog and that women should get back to hell. The story’s moral is that having good intentions and acting well, but not putting yourself above others, is essential.
Themes
The central themes of the story are race, judgment, and grace. Readers observe that Mrs. Turpin judges others throughout the story and thinks God blessed her. However, she sees herself as being on top of others and uses black people.
For instance, Mrs. Turpin is kind to her workers, allowing them to work more effectively. In addition, she always judged others and named women trash: “Next to the well-dressed pleasant lady was a lank-faced woman who was certainly the child’s mother” (O’Connor). Mrs. Turpin positioned herself as someone who needed to do good but was in sin, subject to divine judgment. In the end, after Mary Grace’s words, she gets a revelation that she is truly an “old wart hog from Hell.” Hence, the author illustrates the issues of judgment, race, and grace through Mrs. Turpin’s life and vices.
Characters
The characters of “Revelation” symbolize different human imperfections, but except for Turpin, only Mary Grace has a name that symbolizes grace. Mrs. Turpin symbolized judgment, as she put herself above others and agitated against others. The white trash woman symbolizes racism, as she insults black people and wishes to send them back to Africa: “They ought to send all them niggers back to Africa” (O’Connor). The pretty lady was created to emphasize Mrs. Turpin’s vices, as she mostly debates with her.
Lastly, Mary Grace is the symbol of grace, as she saw beyond condition and time and revealed the nature of Mrs. Turpin: “a warthog. From hell” (O’Connor). Thus, each character was implemented to reveal human sins, and Mary Grace was a revelation to Mrs. Turpin, while other characters highlighted women’s vices.
Conclusion
To conclude, the story emphasizes the problems of grace, judgment, and racism. Mrs. Turpin personifies judgment, a white trash woman—racism, and Mary Grace—grace. The author uses symbolism to emphasize that visiting the church and doing good are insufficient if the intentions are mercenary. Lastly, Flannery O’Connor also demonstrates Grace’s process of recognizing these vices, which is called “revelation” and is the main idea of the story.
Works Cited
Carroll, Claire. “Biography of Flannery O’Connor, American Novelist, Short-Story Writer”. ThoughtCo, 2020. Web.
O’Connor, Flannery. Revelation. The Sewanee Review, 1964. Web.