<p> Revelation By Flannery O’Connor</p><p>Gianna Janney and Jordan Pouliot</p><p>“‘What you got to say to me?’ she asked hoarsely and held her breath, waiting, as for a revelation” Synopsis</p><p>Written in 1964 by the prominent American author Flannery O’Connor, “Revelation” catches an important glimpse in the life of Mrs. Turpin. While awaiting a medical appointment for her husband Claud, a series of conversations, facial expressions, and self- indulgent thoughts lead Mrs. Turpin into a shocking self-revelation. The sharp comment from Mary Grace, a scornful young adult, pushes Mrs. Turpin to delve into her innermost beliefs, questioning her faith in Jesus and her faith in her convictions. Flannery O’Connor utilizes subtle symbols and her Catholic beliefs to evoke a message in her readers. Biography of Flannery O’Connor</p><p>Flannery O’Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1925 to Edward F. O'Connor and Regina Cline. O’Connor’s self-description of her life was that it would never make for, “exciting copy”, but on the contrary her life leads readers to understand why she wrote such powerful fiction. O’Connor attended a religious grammar school and high school in Georgia. Her first run in with fame was when she was six, and taught a chicken to walk backwards. Her and her chicken were taped and shown around the world. When O’Connor was thirteen, her father was diagnosed with disseminated lupus, a rare and incurable blood disease. Her father had to quit his job in the real-estate business and moved the family to Milledgeville, Georgia. Her father died in 1941. A year later she graduated from high school to attend Georgia State College for Women and began to write for the literary magazine. She graduated three years later and was accepted into the University of Iowa’s accelerated Writer’s Workshop. There she cultivated her writing for two years, and after graduating began her career as a writer. In 1950, she was diagnosed with lupus, and as a result moved back home to her family’s farm in Milledgeville. There she lived a severely restricted life, spending her time writing and helping out on the farm. O’Connor traveled very little, and her entire life was centered in the South, which she incorporated in many of her stories. O’Connor’s writing was also strongly influenced by her Catholic views, although her religion never overshadowed her writing. Despite her sheltered life, her writing reveals an uncanny grasp of the nuances of human behavior. Her writing ventured into the absurd and grotesque aspects of human life, but her characters always somehow connected to every possible reader. O’Connor died at the age of 39 in 1964, from complications due to lupus. She had written over two-dozen short stories and two novels at the time of her death. </p><p>The Civil Rights Movement</p><p>The Civil Rights Movement began in 1955 and QuickTime™ and aended in 1968. This marked the period of time decompressor are needed to see this wherepicture. reform movements in the United States aimed to outlaw racial discrimination and restore Suffrage in the Southern states. The movement has also taken on the name the "Southern Freedom Movement" because the struggle was about far more than just civil rights under law; it was also about fundamental issues of freedom, respect, dignity, and economic and social equality. Much of the Civil Rights Movement was marked by non-violent protest including sit-ins and marches. </p><p>The results of this movement were critical to the development of our country today. It resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which restored and protected voting rights, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. O’Connor wrote her short story, “Revelation”, at the peak of this battle for equal rights and acceptance for all races and classes. </p><p>Terms</p><p>Symbol: A person, object or event that suggests more than its literal meaning.</p><p>Conventional Symbols: Symbols that are widely recognized by a society or culture. Examples: The Christian cross, a wedding ring, an alligator </p><p>QuickTime™ and a decompressor logo are needed to see this picture.</p><p>Literary Symbols: A symbol that can include traditional, conventional, or public meanings, but that may also be established internally by the total context of the work in which it appears. It can be a setting, character, action, object, name, or anything else in a work that maintains its literal significance while also suggesting other meanings. </p><p>Allegory: When a character, object or incident indicates a single, unchanging meaning, rather than a symbol. The focus of an allegory is on the abstract idea that is being called forth by a concrete object.</p><p>QuickTime™ and a decompressor Quotes are needed to see this picture. “She was looking at her as if she had known and disliked her all her life—all of Mrs. Turpin’s life, it seemed too, not just all the girl’s life” (381).</p><p>“Mrs. Turpin gave her the merest edge of her attention. ‘Our hogs are not dirty and they don’t stink,’ she said. ‘They’re cleaner than some children I’ve seen. Their feet never touch the ground.’” (380).</p><p>“‘Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog,’ she whispered. Her voice was low but clear. Her eyes burned for a moment as if she saw with pleasure that her message had struck its target” (385).</p><p>“‘Ain’t nothing bad happen to you!’ the old woman said. She said it as if they all knew that Mrs. Turpin was protected in some special way by Divine Providence. ‘You just had you a little fall.’” (387).</p><p>Discussion Questions</p><p>1. What is the importance of the two settings, the waiting room and the pig parlor, in the story? How does O’Connor use these settings as symbols? 2. Describe how class and racism are major themes in this story. How is it relevant to the time-period the story was written in? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. 3. How does O’Connor use allegory in her story, specifically with Mary Grace? How does this play into O’Connor’s focus on religion and the Catholic faith? What is the significance of the book she is reading in the waiting room? 4. Flannery O’Connor uses religion as an underlying theme in all of her stories. Describe the importance of religion in this story and the message she is trying to send. </p><p>QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture.</p>