People can be affected by religion in different ways and The Misfit becomes the perfect character to uncover the grandmother's gullibility. She, in turn, is the perfect person to expose his evil nature. This contrast allows O'Connor uses to reveal the delicate nature of man. Somehow, in the midst of everything, the two people bond, leaving the grandmother with a false sense of hope. She believes, because she knows best, that she has transformed his life. She truly believes she can change him. Parini writes that at the moment he shots her, she realizes "they are connected, and through a horrible act of violence she has received a moment of understanding, if not grace" (Parini 231). The showdown becomes one between The Misfit's powerful convictions and the grandmother's shallow beliefs. O'Connor proves with these individuals the importance of being passionate about the right thing. Being passionate about Jesus is good, but one should be on the right side of that passion. This is much better than riding the fence.
We cannot discuss Hulga and contrasts without mentioning Manley. Hulga has the degrees she believes qualifies her to be rude and condescending to others. She is like Julian in that she sees nothing wrong with the fact that she is still living with her mother and actually depends upon her for care. With characters such as these, O'Connor exposes the "hypocrisy and valueless mores of contemporary American life" (Parini 230). Hulga is a hypocrite and, sadly, it takes a traumatic experience to force her to realize this. Oliver writes that Hulga's leg symbolizes her "false spirituality, that is, her rejection of religion for philosophy" (Oliver). It is clear that Hulga rejects God and even "revels in her rejection of God" (Oliver). She is proud of her religion of nothing and this sets the stage for her encounter with Manley. She finds herself daydreaming of him and considers taking "his remorse in hand and changed it into a deeper understanding of life. She took all his shame away and turned it into something useful." These kinds of thoughts are simply haughty. Hulga, the crippled woman living with her mom, thinks she can tech Manley a thing or two and she honestly thinks that while she can offer him the world, he has absolutely nothing to offer her, especially religion. Her pride led her straight into his trap. Because of this, Manley is equipped to expose her to her "true weakness and misplaced delusions" (Parini 232). Manley is a wolf is sheep's clothing but it is interesting to consider the fact that Hulga, too, is putting on a front for the world to see. She even has herself convinced of who she thinks she is. They are opposites looking to prove the same point: the world cannot get anything over on them.
Julian is contrasted with his mother in their story. Undoubtedly, these two characters share similarities, however, it is important to notice where they are different and how this difference comes about. Julian's mother molded him to be the prejudice man he was; she taught him to see through racist eyes. When Julian is faced with the sudden loss of his mother, everything in his world changes. Denahm writes, "His cries for help suggest not merely the panic of the moment, effacing his earlier claim of fearlessness; they suggest also his desperate awareness of the dark state of his own soul" (Denham). He sees her as she is, as she is leaving him and he also sees himself and he realizes that he is not the strong, able man he thought he was. Like...
In this situation, the images work on their own in presenting an effective argument. Just as a lawyer must often rely on visual evidence in court to persuade the jury, so too does a pro-life advocate need to use visual aides to get his or her point across to the general public. The audience for the Abortion Pages will vary. Some pro-life advocates will visit the website to reinforce their
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