The story, “Parker’s Back” by Flanner O’Connor pertains to the story of Parker’s dissatisfaction with his life. The story begins by describing his disinterest in his “ugly” wife. Not only is she unattractive but also mean and now pregnant. Parker cannot conclude to why he stays with her. He conveys how unhappy she makes him, however he can’t seem to leave her side. Many times he contemplates about leaving her but lacks the courage or will. Therefore, relies on getting tattoos as a relief mechanism. Throughout the story he does everything possible in attempt to impress his wife, Sarah, she seems displeased with his every move. She is an extremely spiritual person and Parker conversely the opposite. One day he decides to tattoo Christ on his back to finally get her approval on something. To his surprise she becomes enraged and beats him. The central idea conveys that we have the tendency to rely on an alternative substance or action to fill up a void in our lives, however this is solidly temporary. O’Connor uses language devices such as irony, metaphors, symbolism and allusions to convey the story.
Throughout the story Parker’s dissatisfaction with life is an eminent concept. He is a lost soul, trying to find his place in the world. His unhappiness could be most credited to his wife, Sarah Ruth; a ruthless, coldhearted creature. “He was puzzled and ashamed of himself” this woman made him miserable, yet he “couldn’t understand why he stayed with her” (O’Connor 1). Later in the story we learn that his only outlet of his agonizing life is getting tattoos. However, that contentment wouldn’t last very long, after about a month “a huge dissatisfaction would come over him and he would go off – and have another space filled up” (O’Connor...
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...arker’s Back. Parker speaks a lot about his dissatisfaction with his overall life and is constantly trying to find an answer. Sara Ruth says many nagging things to Parker, which is very typical to what wife’s, tend to do. She believes to always be right and Parker to always be full of sin. This story’s dialogue seems somewhat realistic because I think there is actually couple’s that interact in this sort of way.
Works Cited
O’Connor, Flannery. “Parker’s Back”. Christian Brothers High school. CBHS. 2011. Web 21 Feb. 2011
“Corporal Mortification in Opus Dei”. ODAN Opus Dei Awareness Network. . Originally Written: June 3, 1998 Posted: May 13, 2002. Web. 18 March 2011.
“Burning Bush: Exodus 3:1-6, 14”. Children Sermons. 1999 by Jim Kerlin. Web. 22 March 2011.
Parker lived his life by a couple key principles according to the author, principles that he always followed in every situation. Some of his principles included that he would never kill unless there was a purpose, he would always honor a deal, he would always settle a score to bring balance back to his life, and that liabilities always had to be removed (Stark). Some of Parker’s less poignant principles are that business must come before pleasure, and that he would never allow himself to hate someone. Lastly, Parker adds a final rule to his value system, he vows to never love again, since love makes him vulnerable and blind (Stark 24). These principles make Parkers apparent eradicate actions become more understandable and even appealing. An individual that lives their life in a controlled fashion, with discipline, morals and values is often someone that people will gravitate towards, even though aside from these things, the person’s is someone we would never associate with
The Bible: The Old Testament. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 47-97.
Man vs. Man is a conflict that can be seen throughout the story. For example, when Parker is telling his wife Sarah Ruth about his tattoos. “ “I got most of my other ones in foreign parts,” Parker said. “These here I mostly got in the United States. I got my first one when I was only fifteen years old.” “Don’t tell me,” the girl said, “I don’t like it. I ain’t got any use for it.” “You ought to see the ones you can’t see,” Parker said and winked” (O’Connor 2). Sarah automatically shows her distaste for them, later on even going so far as to call Parker a fool for having them. This particular problem can be witnessed though out the rest of the story. This struggle does not end even when the audience has arrived to the end of the story. For instance, when Parker slams his hand in the hood part of the car. “ “God dammit!” he hollered, “Jesus Christ in hell! Jesus God Almighty damn! God dammit to hell!” he went on, flinging out the same few oaths over and over as loud as he could. Without warning a terrible bristly claw slammed the side of his face an...
We come into this world with nothing and leave the same way. Our lives here are short and full of heartbreak if we do not lay hold on the spiritual aspect of life which the characters in this story strived for in their own ways. This world is full of symbolism in much the same way the story depicts it through the tattoos, so much the center point of the entire story. Parker was continually looking for perfection and acceptance with one more tattoo. He wanted the world and Sarah Ruth to focus on the tattoos he regarded as perfect instead of his inferiority. “Each time he grows restless or troubled, he eases the pressure by getting a new tattoo”. Sarah Ruth was driven away because of her desire to be perfect and felt it could only be obtained by staying away from idols, the chief of which was the church.
Zacharia, Sophie1. "Death By Stoning: The Uncertain Fate Of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani." Amicus Journal 26 (2011): 21-24. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
“Parker’s Back” is filled with biblical allusions as one man’s journey towards God and pleasing his wife ends unsuccessfully. Parker has always been a rebel; however, his wife is a devout, plain woman who has an indescribable control on him, possibly due to his subconscious wish to be saved. Parker wishes to leave her, but finds he never can do so. Not only is he unable to please his wife, but also he is unable to experience spiritual satisfaction, and in the brief moment at the end where he does have a connection to God, his wife rids him of it. Biblical allusions are spread throughout “Parker’s Back,” and they serve to emphasize O.E. Parker’s failure as a spiritual person.
...they are both outcasts. The only people who address or speak to the Grandmother are her grandchildren who don’t speak fondly of her either, but the only time she is taken seriously by her son is when he yells at her and makes her cry. Mrs. Turpin even spent her last seconds of life are spent trying to get on the same level as The Misfit, but in the end he only shoots her three times in the chest when she touches his shoulder. This is equal to Parker because he doesn’t seem to have anything in common with his wife and she puts him down calling his tattoos the“Vanity of all vanities.” Just like when the Grandmother tries to connect with the Misfit, Parker tries to connect to his wife through the spiritual Christ tattoo.
instant postwar penal code of German, which remained first-degree murder could merely be 'for stand intentions' that did not incorporate 'unflustered' contribution in mass killing note. However, executor evidence as well as the Milgram note points that even at the time the wish to obey the group remains a most important ground for somebody performing a dissipated group act. They more or less constantly structure their conformity on “Just Following Orders,” (Estlund 221).
O’Connor, Flannery. “Parker’s Back.” The Complete Stories. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1971. 510-30.
Murders inflicted upon the Jewish population during the Holocaust are often considered the largest mass murders of innocent people, that some have yet to accept as true. The mentality of the Jewish prisoners as well as the officers during the early 1940’s transformed from an ordinary way of thinking to an abnormal twisted headache. In the books Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi and Ordinary men by Christopher R. Browning we will examine the alterations that the Jewish prisoners as well as the police officers behaviors and qualities changed.
Men and women will always strive for perfection whether it is in themselves or in each other. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s allegory “The Birthmark, “ the audience is informed of a young couple, Aylmer and Georgiana. Then soon transpires into a husband's obsession with his wife's flaw, “The birthmark.” The young husband gets too wrapped up in fixing his wife that he forgets to show her attention and love. Incapable of feeling anything but determination to make his wife perfect; he uses a potion to remove the birthmark. The potion successfully begins to fade the birthmark however, the potion also fades his wife's life as well. . Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism to give “The Birthmark” a deeper meaning, foreshadowing to build suspense, and third
Hindson, E. E., & Yates, G. E. (2012). The Essence of the Old Testament: A survey. Nashville, Tenn: B & H Academic.
I feel that this story is very important concerning the history of the struggles that Jews have faced and overcome. Although, the joke at the beginning of this paper obviously seems to mock the story of Moses and the burning bush, the fact that the story is still remembered today and understood by the masses that it only further depicts the story’s vital significance to the Jewish religion. I see the joke as only a continued remembrance of the Prophet Moses and his struggles for Israel.
Fields, Helen. "Digging out the Truth of Exodus." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 10 Dec. 03. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
LaSor, W., Hubbard, D., Bush, F., & Allen, L. (1996). Old Testament survey: The message, form, and background of the Old Testament (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans