Analyzing Flannery O 'Connor's Short Story Revelation'

12 February 2015
Essay Analysis: Revelation
1. The title of this short story is Revelation and was published in 1965.
2. The author’s name is Flannery O’Connor, 1925-1964.
3. Mrs. Turpin is the main character of this short story and proves to be a dynamic character. In the beginning of the story Mrs. Turpin immediately starts judging everyone in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. While observing these people she was thinking to herself how grateful she was that she was a white woman with a nice home and land as opposed to being “white trash” or black. She even says that she believes that poverty stricken black people cannot get into Heaven because they don’t measure up to certain standards. She views poor and black people to be lesser than her until the very end of the
story. At the end of the story, she finally realizes that God sees all of his children the same when welcoming them into the afterlife, regardless of race, social standing, or how much money and land they obtained while on Earth. Although it took hateful words and violent acts to make Ruby see this, she changed into a woman who knows what true equality among the human race is and what it should be.
4. The setting of the story was somewhere in the South after the Civil War based on context clues. The white trash woman’s daughter was in town for the summer from college in the North so that made it clear to the reader that Mrs. Turpin resided in the South. Also, it was evident that this story took place after the Civil War because Ruby stated multiple time that black people were not forced to work for white families anymore and that some of them owned their own homes and land. The setting made the atmosphere extremely tense because this time in history was immensely divided. Some white people wanted slavery to resume and thought of black people in a negative way while some white people enjoyed the new equality that was being introduced to America.
5. The point of view in this story is limited omniscient because the narrator only has an insight into what the main character is thinking. Revelation benefits from the author using this particular point of view because the audience can have firsthand knowledge of what the main character is thinking while still being involved with the story line and the rest of the characters as well. The setting, plot, tone, style, and theme can also be figured out with ease due to the reader’s insight in the story. Without knowing exactly how Mrs. Turpin was feeling during the story, the reader would not have been able to know how Mary Grace’s words and actions changed her into a better person.
6. The exposition and rising action of this story are important because it shows the reader how judgmental Mrs. Turpin really was. Knowing how she thought of others made the conclusion much more dramatic as well. The foreshadowing used when Mary Grace was making rude faces and refusing to talk to Mrs. Turpin built the climax up even more which also made the conclusion intense. The greatest element used in this story was surprise. The majority of the audience probably would have never guessed that Mary Grace would attack Mrs. Turpin physically and the action of that happening made a great climax.
7. The author was born and lived during the cruel times of slavery. Since she experienced slavery firsthand and lived in Georgia, she knew all about life for black people in the South. O’Connor brought in a view from the North that showed that she probably agreed that blacks should be free. Otherwise, the conclusion the author chose would have been drastically different. Although she was comfortable using slang from the South that Northerners usually didn’t agree with, it was evident she didn’t like the ways of slavery all thought all people needed to be treated equally.
8. Throughout the story, the author used a style that people in the South were familiar with. She didn’t seem to have a problem with demonstrating the use of words like “nigger” and “white trash” on multiple occasions. These words let the audience know just how different and harsh times were back then. Her style of writing truly enhanced the story by the use of graphic language and surprising events that had dramatic effects on the reader.
9. O’Connor used an abundance of symbols throughout Revelation. The book that Mary Grace threw at Mrs. Turpin titled Human Development, had a literal meaning that the girl wanted the contents of the book to get through Turpin’s head. She wanted her to understand that humans were developing and were starting to believe in equality. The hogs represented many things in the story. What Mary Grace said about Turpin equaling a hog was true to an extent. Mrs. Turpin had terrible beliefs and without knowing it, acted in a disgusting manner, like a hog would. The hogs also symbolized that even though they were clean on the outside, deep down, they were still grotesque animals, much like Mrs. Turpin proved to be. Another symbol in the story was the clothes that each character wore also symbolized their social standing and their wealth or lack thereof.
10. The theme of Revelation is the true need for everyone as a whole to believe in equality for everyone in the world. Through the style of writing the author used, she reveals the theme by using offending language and building tension between two characters who are the exact opposite. She shows the audience that equality is the most important thing to possess for the entire human race. The plot of the story escalates quickly because of this and enraptures the reader with ease. The plot was full of surprises, suspense, and tension and it gave the reader a sense of how idiotic someone appears when they do not believe in equality.
11.
I personally enjoyed Revelation because it proved how important equality is and that is something I believe in whole-heartedly. Even though I realize that times have changed, the harsh language O’Connor used was offending and showed how words can hurt and how the result of using one word can make someone feel. Being raised in the South, even in today’s world, I hear racist terms used multiple times a day. This story made me feel grateful that I was raised in a home that stands behind equality and helping the poor. If I had been a Mary Grace’s shoes, it would have been hard for me not to do the same thing she did. To me it is a shame that there are people in this world who think that slavery was a good and humane thing. It is an embarrassment that people are still racist and cannot get their minds around how important equality is. As a whole, Flannery O’Connor made an excellent point about equality, especially at the end of the story. At the end of life, no matter what color your skin is or how much money you made, everyone gets into Heaven the same way. This story opened my eyes and made me realize all over again how much our world needs equality to function properly and to be
successful.