At first when I read the O'Connor story I didn't really realize that it was religious. Once we talked about it in class though I was able to see it a lot more in the second reading, "Revelation." I thought that "Revelation" was a very interesting piece. To me it seemed humorous and religious at the same time and it was enjoyable.
Mrs. Turpin was my favorite character. I thought that she was funny. I liked how she prideshe realized that she wasn't really the person that she thought that she was all along. She made a strong point in telling herself all the time that she was kind and good, and that she always went to church. She would tell herself that she was a good Christian and thank God and Jesus for giving her a little of everything.
Mrs. Turpin really seemed to appreciate herself. She saw herself as pretty, kind, a good Christian and although she was a little overweight she was very pleased with herself. This pleasure with herself seemed to have come from viewing others negatively. Throughout the whole story we hear her describing her impressions and the appearance of those around her in the doctors off. This one was fat, that one was ugly, this one was rude, etc... Luckily though she was none of those bad things, therefore it seemed that those negative things were just that much worse.
When Mrs. Turpin finally comes to the realization after the ugly girl calls her a warthog from hell I think it's really amusing. She knew all along that she wasn't that great of a person, but now hearing from someone that she didn't actually know really got her thinking about her life. She was completely devastated by a teenager telling her she was from hell. Although she sees this as a sign from God and that she has actually known this girl for years it still comes out of an ugly teenager.
I think it's interesting when they finally head home from the hectic doctors office and Mrs. Turpin expects everything to crumble right in from of her practically (her home, farm, Claude). She gets so upset and practically challenges God because of what he called her. Mrs. Turpin just didn't understand how someone so faithful to the church and above the white trash and the black people could be looked down upon so much by God.
As the reader we can see the whole time that she is very judgemental and critical of others. She has no respect for the lower class and really thinks of herself as better than so many people. When she finally is exposed to this knowledge it is almost too much for her to take, and I was just really amused at how she handled the whole situation.
1 comment:
I found Mrs. Turpin to be a rather interesting character as well. I think that she began as a rather oblivious woman in the beginning. She did not realize how black and to how ugly and shameful her life and character really is. She only cares what others thnk of her and ther is nthing under that surface until this teenager delivers this message. Then the thoughts begin as to the quality of her life and her character. I guess anyone would question their standing after an experience like that! What struck me though was that Mrs. Turpin needed a message from God to specifically tell her that she was wrong before she would change. Many people are not that lucky.
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