Literary Analysis: "Revelation"

Flannery O’Connor’s “Revelation,” is about a man and his wife, Mrs. Turpin. The story begins as Mr. and Mrs. Turpin go to the doctor’s office and Mrs. Turpin begins a conversation with the mother of Mary Grace, a little girl also waiting in the doctor’s office. As Mrs. Turpin talks to the mother, she looks around the room and sees a “white trash” lady and she thanks god she is not like that woman. Throughout the story she continuously thanks God that she is not black or poor, and that she is wealthy and owns land. Mary Grace stares at Mrs. Turpin during the women’s conversation with disgust, as if she know exactly what Mrs. Turpin is thinking. As Mary Grace’s disgust for Mrs. Turpin grows, she suddenly explodes and attacks Mrs. Turpin saying “go back to Hell where you came from, you old wart hog.” Later that day, Mrs. Turpin is at her house hosing her hogs and wondering why God sent her the message from Mary Grace today. Suddenly, she sees a streak of light leading up towards the sky acting some what as a bridge. She sees people advancing towards the sky, and she notices that they are the type of people she was feeling sorry for the entire day. black people, the white trash women, and “freaks and lunatics,” are all walking up towards the sky, or heaven. Following them are Mr. and Mrs. Turpin. Mrs. Turpin then realizes that all people are equal in God’s eyes.

My favorite symbol in “Revelation” was Mary Grace. Her name directly explains to readers what role she is playing in the story: grace. She serves as a messenger of God for Mrs. Turpin to make her realizes that although she is “saved,” Mrs. Turpin’s view on the world and God’s people is skewed. O’Connor also uses the eyes as a symbol, as she does in many of her stories. Mary Grace’s eyes grow angrier and more intense as she listens to Mrs. Turpin talk, and O’Connor writes that her eyes "seemed lit all of a sudden with a peculiar light, an unnatural light like night road signs give." The comparison of her eyes and road signs foreshadows that Mary Grace will be leading Mrs. Turpin towards something. Which the readers eventually find out is the revelation.