Wednesday, April 27, 2011

"Revelation"- Flannery O'Connor

 4.Sketch the plot of the story. What moment or event do you take to be the crisis, or turning point? What is the climax? What is the conclusion?

a.The plot is the structure of the story, it is how the author arranges events to develop his/her basic idea having a beginning, a middle and an end. The plot of "Revelation" is:

 Ruby Turpin,a Southern woman, enters and dominates by her large size, a crowded waiting room at a doctor's office accompanied by her husband Claude. Mrs. Turpin begins surveying the room and assessing the others seated around her. In her head, she labels each person, judging them. 

Mrs. Turpin begins a conversation with the pleasant woman about the importance of being refined and having a good disposition. They also talk about being grateful and how it is important to be thankful for the good things you have been given in life. The entire time they are conversing, the white trash woman repeatedly interjects comments that show her ignorance and lack of intelligence. The pleasant woman's daughter, Mary Grace, a fat ugly college girl with bad acne, scowls at Mrs. Turpin and seems to grow angry during the course of the conversation. She becomes angrier when Mrs. Turpin says how grateful she is by thanking Jesus.

Outraged, Mary Grace hurls the book she is reading at Mrs. Turpin and lunges at her throat. The book, significantly titled Human Development, gets Mrs. Turpin above her eye. The girl is hold down by the doctor and nurse who call an ambulance to come and take the girl away. Before she leaves, she whispers a powerful message to Mrs.Turpin. Just loud enough for her to hear, Mary Grace says: "Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog." Mrs. Turpin  wonders if it may have been a message from God. She, still upset,  returns home. She tells to the black farm workers what happened to her. They flatter her, telling her that Jesus loves her, as they have always done in the past. But blacks' flattery  no longer satisfies Mrs.Turpin. She is now beginning to realize the shallow foolishness that has characterized her life.

While hosing down hogs, there on the pig pen of her farm, Mrs. Turpin rages at God. As she contemplates the "message" he has sent her. She has a vision of redeemed souls wending their way to Heaven as if on a highway. She repents for her mistakes and understands the 'message'. 

b.The crisis or turning point is where the trend for all future events is set. The crisis in the story, i think, it is when Mary Grace hurls the book she was reading at Mrs.Turpin's face and lunges at her throat. Is this moment of tension that will change the development of the events in story. In this moment, Mary Grace tells her the words, "Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog", that will make Mrs.Turpin to doubt herself, to question herself, to get revelation and to change her in the end.



c.Climax is the highest moment of tension which makes the reader wonders what will happen next, will the conflict be resolved or not. In "Revelation", i think that the climax is when Mrs.Turpin is at her farm, hosing down hogs, when she contemplates at the meaning of words of Mary Grace and when she has the confrontation with God. At this moment we know how the story it will end.

d.Conclusion is how the story end, usually summing up all the story or giving  an idea or suggestion. The conclusion in "Revelation" is that Mrs.Turpin finally understands the truth, the 'message'. She realizes her mistakes and repents. After the confrontation with God, she now know the she is no one to judge the others and understands that all people , either black or white, poor or rich, are equal before God, even the most judged, those she referred 'white trash' and blacks are near God then the people like her who have goods in life. Also, the conclusion of the story, reveals that God is merciful, he forgives Mrs.Turpin when she repented, when he showed her the heaven. 




5.What do you infer from Mrs.Turpin's conversation with the black farm workers? Is she their friend? Why does she now find their flattery unacceptable(Jesus satisfied with her)?

a.Mrs.Turpin appears as a religious woman who doesn't judge the blacks. Through the conversation with the well dressed woman, she says that she welcomes the black farm workers, serving them ice water and talking with them. Only when black farm workers arrive at the farm of Mrs.Turpin, i see that she only respects them to save her soul that by respecting them she would have a good soul and afterlife she can go in heaven. I see this when she refers them as 'idiots', people who don't know nothing.


b.I don't think that Mrs.Turpin is friend of black farm workers. She see respecting them as a duty for a religious woman like her who want to go in heaven after death. Mrs.Turpin refers to them as 'idiots', incapable of thinking.


c.Mrs.Turpin after hearing the 'message', she begins to question herself and to realize the shallow foolishness that has characterized her life. Now, she only wants to know the truth, the meaning of the 'message', to know either she is right or wrong. Now Mrs.Turpin knows that Jesus may not be satisfied with her and she understands that the responds that the black farm workers give to her are only flattery.


6.When, near the end of the story, Mrs.Turpin roars "who do you think you are?" an echo "returned to her clearly like an answer from beyond the wood". Explain.


When Mrs.Turpin is at her farm, while hosing down hogs in pig pen, she recalls the words of Mary Grace and  becomes furious. She rages at God and wants answers from him. When Mrs.Turpin roars "who do you think you are", i read that the color of everything changes with a transparent intensity as to indicate thats something supernatural is going to occur. When an echo returns to her like an answer from beyond the wood, i think, is the presence of God, as to answer rather then respond to Mrs.Turpin, to say her 'who do you think you are to judge people', 'who do you think you are to play tho role of God'. I think that is the confrontation between Mrs.Turpin and God himself.


7.What is the final revelation given to Mrs.Turpin? (to state it is to state the theme of the story). What new attitude does the revelation impart? (how is Mrs.Turpin left with a new vision of humanity?). 


a.Mrs.Turpin sees a number of people in various degrees of social classes, going to heaven and she finally realizes that her judgments were prejudiced and distorted when compared to God's vision of mankind. 


b.We no one to judge the others. We shouldn't play the role of God because exist the one to make it. All people, either white or black, poor or rich, healthy or unhealthy, are equal before God.

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