Analyzing Katherine Anne Porter's 'Flowering Judas'

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Recommended: Stream of consciousness analysis

Mullins Andrew Mullins Hensley English 11/fifth period 27 February 2018 Part 12: Rough Draft Flowering Judas” is a story of faith being betrayed time again that hooks the reader with being able to look into a woman's life and mind. Faith being betrayed in Porters story is displayed throughout the entirety of the writing with various symbols guiding our way through Laura's life and mind due to the technique of stream of consciousness. This writing style and the point of view makes the story sometimes an overwhelming read but once dove into the deeper meaning the story opens with symbolism and articulate word choice to grasp the reader to guide them through the selection. The short story by Katherine Anne Porter “Flowering Judas” leads …show more content…

“He says to her,’ you are so good, please don't cry anymore,you dear good creature”(Porter 320). This point in story shifts to Braggioni and his life not just focusing on Lauras the entire story. The stream of consciousness is chosen by Porter to help give a background to Laura without extending the time frame in the story by Braggioni bring something up from her past and she reflects on it for a short period of time. Such as, when she is horseback riding and the captain from Zapata's army starts hitting on her. It's a one paragraph transition from present to past and back to present with swift movement and no unnecessary comment by Braggioni was needed to trigger the memory. “‘Flowering Judas’ is,in my opinion,’testimony of a mental attitude’, and that attitude is dual”(Redden 46). This story is a “testimony of mental attitude” because Porter wrote it that way. The mood of the story shifts as Laura's moods changed. The stream of consciousness technique allows Porter to go into very in depth memories Laura remembers in the middle of the story because she has partaken in very stressful or unique situations in our past. She does make the situations she has been in outlandish at times but still grounds the story with the emotions she feels that most people have encountered in their lives. The emotions Porter uses are broad and vague enough to connect with the reader but she intertwines the emotions of love,alienation, faith and betrayal with dramatized descriptions of what Laura has gone through in her past and what happens presently in her dream after she finishes talking with Braggioni. The way Porter distinguishes between past and present is complex but makes sense once the reader understands the style she is using by flipping between past and present almost instantly

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