Introduction
A short story is an art form that was first mastered by the 19th-century writer Edgar Allan Poe. Poe’s focus was on providing unity of impression, which could only be achieved by presenting a story short enough to be read in one sitting. To accomplish this, the short story writer must utilize symbol-rich imagery and descriptions in which every word provides meaning and depth to the tale. Although the art form was first mastered by Poe, several other writers have demonstrated strong mastery of these skills as well, writers such as Flannery O’Connor.
Identifying hypocrisy
In her short story “Revelation”, O’Connor uses setting and imagery to help identify hypocrisy.
The story is set in a doctor’s office, which is described in such a way as to suggest a high level of hypocrisy. The room is crowded, suggesting that the doctor is successful at bringing about the necessary healing. It is also described as being “hardly bigger than a garage”, bringing in the suggestion of the assembly-line service of this type of business, calmly switching out one part for another as needed. It is also identified as a place where work is done in the appearance of the table, which “was cluttered with limp-looking magazines and at one end of it there was a big green glass ashtray full of cigarette butts and cotton wads with little blood spots on them.”
At the same time, these same elements of the setting suggest unhealthful activities, lack of vitality, and even lack of life. Gospel music is mentioned specifically as playing on the secretary’s radio, yet Mrs. Turpin’s thoughts as she looks around the room are anything but charitably religious.
While imagery plays a role in establishing the setting, it is also effective in other aspects of the story, further emphasizing the idea of hypocrisy. From the beginning of the story, Mrs. Turpin appears larger than life, dominating the waiting room, her husband, and the people around her through her sheer bulk and her insistence upon being heard. Although she makes fun of herself for being overweight, seemingly self-condescending, in reality, she quickly makes assessments regarding the various people around her, judging which are worthy of her attention and which are significantly beneath her. These assessments are made based upon the appearances of others, such as in her identification of the cotton print dress that is recognizable to Mrs. Turpin as the same print on the three bags of chicken feed she has at home.
Although she occupies her quiet hours by classifying the various types of people – from the bottom rung of ‘coloreds’ and white trash to the top with the wealthy home and landowners, Mrs. Turpin nevertheless intuitively understands that all people are fundamentally the same. This is illustrated through her recurring dream that “they were all crammed together in a boxcar, being ridden off to be put in a gas oven.” This type of imagery helps to establish the hypocrisy of the woman as much as the doctor’s office setting helps to establish the hypocrisy inherent in the story.
Conclusion
Through imagery and setting, O’Connor is successful in heavily lacing her story with the idea of hypocrisy. With every sentence read, the reader is introduced to this concept in one way or another, making every paragraph speak out regarding the contradictions. This functions to build suspense, knowing that something must happen to Mrs. Turpin regarding her spirituality and her hypocrisy and finally forcing the reader to look deeper into the events toward the end of the story, revealing the religious implications and message O’Connor intended.
References
O’Connor, Flannery. “Revelation.” An Introduction to Literature. 15th Ed. Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, William Cain & Morton Berman (Eds.). New York: Pearson Education, 2008.