O'Connor's
The short story can be one of the trickiest forms of literature around. Because the author is faced with the challenge of concluding the story quickly, he or she must be selective in their choice of words in order to convey the point that they are trying to make. In order to do this, the talented author will use every element of the story to assist in the telling of the story. Flannery O'Connor's "Revelation" is a fine example of the use of all these elements. She completes the thoughts and ideas by using the plot, characters, setting, point of view, symbolism, style, and theme to reveal a lot about the story without having to use a great deal of description. The end result is a dynamic story written in the most compact form. While O'Connor brilliantly uses all the elements in "Revelation" to her advantage, her choice of settings is one part that significantly drives home the theme of the story.When reading the story "Revelation" by Flannery O'Connor, the reader must consider the settings as one of the most important elements. This story basically has two different settings. The first is the doctor's office waiting room and the other is the "pig parlor." Oddly, these settings have many parallels, which may or may not
The overall theme in the work seems to be "a cleansing process" or "cleanliness." The time, place and atmosphere of the two settings relate to the theme in the story. As seen in the use of the waiting room and the pigpen as symbols, the need for a cleansing is present. The reader knows that Ruby is the one who needs to be cleansed well before the incident in the waiting room. Her conversations with the others reflect a great deal about why the author chose the doctor's office and the pigsty as her settings. Ruby wasn't seeking a spiritual change when she went to the doctor with her husband. In fact, as she is talking, the reader realizes she is quite resistant to change of any kind. In the end, when Ruby sees all the classes of people cleansed and equally entering heaven it is not known whether or not she experiences an internal change. Her eyes are opened, leaving the reader to hope she was changed in some way. The symbolic use of the setting is that the doctor's office and the "pig parlor" in this work both represent filth. Everyone in the doctor's office is diseased or "dirty" and has come to be cleansed. By using this setting, O'Connor is showing a not only a desire, but a need for a cleansing. Also, the farmer hoses all the pigs in the parlor down everyday. They may not want it, but at the end of the day the pigs need to be cleaned. Any settings other than these would not have put as much emphasis on the cleansing element of the revelation Ruby receives. The waiting room and the parlor both evoke additional meaning beyond its literal significance. The idea of filth and disease instilled by these settings require the cleansing process for completion. The settings in this story are conducive to the theme and don't seem to be used as antagonists. They d
Some common words found in the essay are:
Ruby Turpin, Similarly Ruby, O'Connor's Revelation, Flannery O'Connor, , doctor's office, pig parlor, short story, meyer 340, plot characters, incident waiting, cleansing process, details story, o'connor's revelation, reinforce meaning,
Approximate Word count = 1209
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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