Revelation
In the short story, "Revelation", the author, Flannery O'Connor narrates a story about Mrs. Ruby Turpin and the events that changed her view on life. Mrs. Turpin begins the story as a judgmental woman who thinks herself above the stature of many others. A young girl in a doctor's office unleashes her wrath upon Mrs. Turpin because she has tired of the woman's constant judging. Mrs. Turpin did not agree with the insight into her soul. Mrs. Turpin later has a vision that causes her to understand the judgment laid upon her by Mary Grace. O'Connor does a wonderful job describing each character in the story. Rebecca K. Rowley points out that even though Flannery O'Connor is a strict Catholic, her short story, "Revelation", takes on a Jungian type theory; "In "Revelation", Jung's theory of religious experience manifests itself in Mrs. Turpin's initiation to the individuation process"(93). Which causes the reader to actually see a person they know, especially in Mrs. Turpin. O'Connor's story is set in a small to mid-sized southern town around the late 1950's or early 1960's. Mrs. Turpin was told something that made her think, and the more she thought the more she realized that her way of thinking was incorrect. Mrs. Turpin was bigoted and judgmental at the beginning of "Revelation", but her vision at the end of the story made her see that she was no better than anyone else.
Mrs. Turpin shows her bigotry in many different ways, such as her body language. The most obvious way her bigotry is shown is in her manner of speech. Mrs. Turpin walks into the doctor's office at the beginning of the story and immediately begins to classify the people in the room. In reference to a few people she deems as white trash, Mrs. Turpin thinks, "worse than niggers any day"(408). This is one particular quote that shows her bigoted thought process. Mrs. Turpin seems to have something against anyone not like her; she does not like white trash, people with more money than herself,...
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