Review of Revelation

Revelation by Flannery O'Connor is an intriguing piece that I was happy to read. The term "grotesque" is definitely a word that can be used when describing this short story, as O'Connor makes the main character Mrs. Turpin incredibly offensive and short-sighted. Mrs. Turpin has very out-dated and harsh outlooks on society. She only chooses to speak to people with evident higher social class. I think it is important to discuss Mrs. Turpin's behavior because whether we like it or not, people all around the world, even today, act like her. Based off the way people are reared, they develop perspectives on other people and either refuse to change their attitude or adapt. Although there are other ways to deal with difficult people such as Mrs. Turpin, Mary Grace strangles her and tells her to "go back to hell". Mrs. Turpin does not know how to react to this, as Mary Grace is considered "lower" than Mrs. Turpin and very much expressed her dismay for the bigoted woman. Mrs. Turpin then goes on to question her own life and how it is possible someone of the lower class (in her opinion) can think such terrible things about their "superior" (as she would most likely reference herself). Not only is she racist, but prejudiced, xenophobic, and spits on overweight people. Most people in this day and age do not know how to face Mrs. Turpin's comments and opinions or this short story in general, because we were taught to think everyone is equal and valuable, no matter their skin color, age, weight, sexuality, etc. Reading this short story is beneficial to initiate a conversation about bigoted people who still practice their beliefs quietly in modern day life.