The Facade of Tattoos

A detailed Summary of The Facade of Tattoos

In "Parker's Back" by Flannery O'Connor, the tattoos O.E. Parker receives are crucial to the reader's understanding of him. Furthermore, O'Connor suggests them as major symbols throughout Parker's life. Parker, the main character in this story, goes through the actions of life without really knowing who he is and why he is on the earth. "Parker gradually experiences religious conversion and, though tattooed all over the front of his body, is drawn to having a Byzantine tattoo of Christ placed on his back..., O'Connor was using unusual symbols to convey her sense of the mystery of God's redemptive power (Shackelford, p 1800)." Because of the tattoos, the reader is able to see O'Connor reveal the major characteristics in Parker's life and sympathize with this man as he searches for his identity and finds God.

First of all, in order to understand O'Connor's short story, the reader must look into the background of her life. "Parker's Back" was the last story written by O'Connor before she died at the early age of thirty-nine from the disease of Lupus. Her writings all reflect from her religious background of Catholicism. "O'Connor wrote brilliant stories that brought the issue of religious faith into

"When Parker tells her (Sarah) that the tattoo is a picture of God, she is outraged. 'Idolatry!'...I can put up with lies and vanity but I don't want no idolater in this house!' She picks up a broom and proceeds to beat Parker on the back 'until she had nearly knocked him senseless and large welts had formed on the face of the tattooed Christ.' In this image O'Connor graphically conveys the suffering of Christ incarnate in humanity, and expresses her belief that convergence with Christ means union with Christ's suffering, not escape from suffering into some abstract realm of spiritual bliss...emphasizing that the rising in consciousness that precedes true convergence is expressed not through external power or dominance over others but, paradoxically, in a descent into vulnerability, into suffering, into weakness, into man's essential poverty (CLC p 159)." It is in this last scene that the reader becomes sympathetic with Obadiah Elihue, having been driven out of the house by his harridan wife, "leaning against the tree, crying like a baby."

Finally, "The image of Christ on his back has literally the effect to of a sacrament; though it is a symbol, it acts on Parker as if it were Christ Himself (CLC, p159)." The "Christ with all-demanding eyes" symbolizes the acknowledgment of a new "instinct" of obedience. For "the eyes that were now forever on his back were eyes to be obeyed". "They seem to urge him to 'Go Back,' yet his response is not on an intellectual level but on an intuitive or instinctive plane (Tolomeo, p276)." Parker had never solely obeyed anyone: not his mother, not his wife, and not the Navy. He ran from things that required obedience. This tattoo made Parker realize that obedience to God was at hand and that Sarah Ruth had been right all along. He now understands what Sarah said, and he knew he would "have to answer" to God at "the judgment seat".

Through the final tattoo, O'Connor wants the reader to see the effect that visions have on the character. "Parker escapes death and races off to have a picture of God tattooed on his back. Using brilliant allegorical device, O'Connor lists the faces of God that Parker rejects: 'The Good Shepard, Forbid Them Not, The Smiling Jesus, Jesus the Physician's Friend.' He must reject these 'up-to-date pictures' in favor of those which are 'less reassuring,' for the experience he has had has introduced him to an all-demanding God of power and might. When he finally selects the 'haloed head of a flat stern Byzantine Christ,' his choice reflects the nature of the profound change he has undergone ( Tolomeo, p276)."

Moreover, Parker likes to think of himself as a freeman and able to do as he pleases. He thinks that at anytime he can choose to he "would not return" to Sarah, yet "every night he returned". He shows his thoughts of having his own freedom by quitting school, just because "he could," drifting from job to job, and running from the Navy, just because he felt like it. If one of Parker's employers offended him, "he would have left" and found a new job. This shows his thoughts of being a freeman lead him to have no

Some common words found in the essay are:
Obadiah Elihue, Navy Parker's, OE Parker, O'Connor Parker, Furthermore O'Connor, Roman Catholic, Christ CLC, Sarah Ruthspends, Sarah Ruth, Eve Parker, parker's life, obadiah elihue, symbol biblical allusion, main character, power own, symbol biblical, own life, biblical allusion, garden eden, tolomeo p276, facade tattoos, parker motion wonder,

Approximate Word count = 2104
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English