“Revelation’s” Grace and “the gestures” Flannery O’Connor uses certain literary themes in her stories to give them a deeper theological meaning and to provide enjoyment for her readers. In “Revelation”, these themes are seen when Turpid, the main character has her vision at the end of the story. O’Connor uses the theme of grace and “the gesture”, which consists of contact with mystery, the “Divine”, and the “return to reality.” Turpid has contact with mystery a few moments before she has her vision. At this point in the story is washing the hogs and “in the deepening light everything was taking on a mysterious hue” (993).
By describing the setting this way, O’Connor foreshadows the event that is about to happen to Turpid.
Next, while washing the pigs, she begins starring “as if through the very heart of mystery” (993).
O’Connor uses this word choice to invoke the reader to think deeper about the story and to give the character more depth as a complex individual. Another reason O’Connor uses the mystery, as she states in her speech, is so the audience will forgo “any pat moral categories.” By avoiding these “categories” she establishes a deeper connection to the divine. The mystery also draws the reader into the story and gives them a stronger desire to read O’Connor’s story, which is what she strives for in her writing. The vision Turpid has also centers around mystery. “Mrs.
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Turpid remained there with her gaze bent to them as if she were absorbing some abysmal life-giving knowledge” (993).
This action that she commits here signifies the grace that Turpid is capable of. The reader is not entirely sure how Turpid came to have this vision because O’Connor does not ever say. Due to the fact that she does not say how it happened, the vision in itself is a “gesture” that has mystery and leaves the reader to decide what happens for themselves. The mystery that O’Connor uses in her story adds depth and also allows her to express her theme of grace and “the gesture.” Turpin has contact with the “Divine” at the end of the story and during her vision. The “Divinity” that O’Connor refers to in “Revelation” is “the Divine life and our participation in it”, as she states in her speech.
The first place she hints to this is when Turpid is talking to field hands. “She said as if they all knew that Mrs. Turpin was protected in some special way by Divine Providence” (990).
This quote represents how the other characters in the story see Turpid yet the reader knows that she is actually very hypocritical on the inside.
Also, O’Connor uses this phrasing to foreshadow the fact that about to be affected by the “Divine.” Another place that hints the “Divine” is when Turpid asks “Who do you think you are?” toward God. Her answer comes back to her in an echo as if God himself answers her with her own question. The last place that O’Connor suggests “Divinity” is during Turpid’s vision. “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” (993).
This quote represents another “Divine” characteristic where God is showing Turpid what will happen later in her life.
This also proves that she is capable of grace because she is able to see this vision which is a “gesture.” By incorporating “Divinely” and Godly events in her stories, O’Connor is able to bring across her theme of grace and “the gesture” to her readers. Turpin “returns to reality” after she has her vision. O’Connor states in her speech that “reality is something to which we must be returned at considerable cost.” Before Turpid has her vision she is hit in the head with book and she first starts to question why she was targeted for this cruel act. She does not completely realize why till after her vision. “She raised her hands from the side of the pen in a gesture hieratic and profound” (993).
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GRACE In the story Cathedral and A Good Man is hard to find the characters achieve a certain type of grace in one level or another. Although these stories seem to have nothing to do with grace, especially A Good Man their basis is built on the grace that one achieves. One might think what is grace. Webster s dictionary defines grace as, A disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, ...
Turpid does this action at the start of the vision and again shows that she is capable of grace.
.”.. even their virtues were being burned away… fixed unblinkingly on what lay ahead… but she heard she heard were the voices of the souls climbing upward into the starry field and shouting hallelujah” (994).
At this point Turpid is completely “returned to reality” and finally sees her own faults and realizes why God allowed her to be the target of the attack. This quote also shows the point where she makes her greatest “gesture” and proves that she has grace. O’Connor relates to her audience here that no matter how hypocritical or ungodly a person may be, given the right chance they can see the error of their ways. O’Connor’s uses certain events in her stories to point out “reality” to her characters show the reader that they are capable of grace and “the gesture.” Through her main character in “Revelation” O’Connor relates the theme of grace and “the gesture” to her readers.
This theme is made of mystery that adds depth to the story, “Divine” events that had an affect on the main character, and also consists of the character “returning to reality.” This theme completes the story in a way that interests the reader and provides a deeper view into.
