Revelation by Flannery O'Connor

Revelation Flannery O'Connor is making an analysis not only of herself, but the past that she came from. Where, O'Connor grew up in the rural South and was brought up according to their different customs and traditions. This is a world that everyone believes that they are moral and good, yet beneath the surface they are full of hate as well as racism. One way that this is accomplished is through the use of metaphors such as: an opportunity for grace. This is when everyone is given a chance to be able to understand who they are, not the person that their friends or society thinks they are. In the Revelation this is revealed to Mrs. Turpin in two different ways; when she is sitting around the doctor's office and there are people from all walks of life. The moment she begins to start judging people, is when she is having her first moment of grace, where she can step outside of herself to see the kind of person she really is. The second time that this occurs is: when the teenager name Grace begins to show nothing but contempt for Mrs. Turpin. This is because she is talking in the same judgmental way as she thought of the others. When the teenager begins throwing books at Mrs. Turpin; was when she had a second opportunity for grace.

The way the story comes across is: as very Southern, where the author uses Mrs. Turpin to represent the quintessential Southern woman (who is well mannered and thinks of herself as sophisticated). Yet, during when she is sitting at the doctors office; it is clear, that beneath this outside front she is actually judgmental and mean spirited. This shows when she is talking with the woman who she thought of as white trash and when she talks about the teenager (Grace) as a child, in front of her. In this particular situation, the way that Mrs. Turpin was carrying on showed the way the South was at the time. The illusion of elegance, yet beneath the surface this society is just an illusion, as they are nothing more than racist and judgmental.

In the Flowering Judas, Porter characterizes Braggioni as a Mexican Revolutionary leader during the early 1920's that went astray. As there were promises of changes from the brutal government, yet once a new government was established it delivered on the promises of democracy. However, many of the people who supported the revolution have become disillusioned with the new government. This is because the revolutionary leaders are no better than the current government, where they are engaging various activities of corruption that is delegitimizing the revolution. To illustrate this, Porter uses the character of Braggioni; he is a revolutionary leader that is supposed to represent the promise of the new leaders (strong, young and idealistic). Yet, Braggioni is: fat, out shape and unkempt.

Clearly he is incapable of redemption, evidence of this can be seen by looking no further than comments that Braggioni makes about people who supported him during the revolution. A good example of this can be found in the passage where it says "Now, years later, he is revolutionary and leader of men who whisper secrets in his ear. He encourages them, gives them money, promises them jobs, and tells them they must join unions, take part in demonstrations, and attend meetings. However, he tells Laura, "They are stupid, they are lazy, they are treacherous, they would cut my throat for nothing." But Braggioni lives the good life, eating and drinking his fill, sleeping in a soft bed with his wife, and singing to Laura."