Tarwater's Violence In O Connor

1119 Words5 Pages
Tarwater’s character experiences much more direct violence throughout the novel than perhaps any of O’Connor’s other characters. Destined, by his great-uncle to have the life of a prophet, Tarwater attempts to evade his destiny, and in turn grace, but he is consistently brought back to it. When Tarwater attempts to avoid an encounter with God by burning down the house and refusing his great-uncle a Christian burial, he learns that his neighbor saved the body and buried it. When he tries drowns Bishop, he realizes that he surely baptized him too while simultaneously drowning him. He knew then that, “…he was headed for everything the old man had prepared him for, that he moved off now through the black forest toward a violent encounter with his fate” (456).…show more content…
Finally, in the one of O’Connor’s most grotesque acts of violence, the truck driver rapes Tarwater pushing O’Connor’s association of grace and violence to its extremes. Yet, subsequent to this terrible violence, O’Connor provides this scene for readers: “His scorched eyes no longer looked hollow or as if they were meant only to guide him forward. They looked as if, touched with a coal like the lips of a prophet, they would never be used for ordinary sights again” (473). O’Connor maintains the use of regaining vision to signal the moment of grace for her character. After the rape, Tarwater seems to have come to an encounter and subsequent acceptance of God’s grace leading him to head towards the city and “Go warn the children of God of the terrible speed of mercy” (478). Tarwater’s persistent violent opposition to grace only moves him closer towards it and ends with his final acceptance of both his destiny and
Show More
Related

  • Flannery O Connor Critical Analysis

    7765 Words  | 32 Pages

    If one responds to this rhetorical problem for Flannery O’Connor, one is but to slap the reader in the face with mystery and awe all through grotesquerie, violence and extremely demonic states of existence. Her fictional patterns lean away from archetypal social patterns towards mystery and the unpredicted. She is pretty aware that many do not share her beliefs, so she often must make an event to carry enough

    Read More

More about Tarwater's Violence In O Connor

Open Document