Showing the Evil of Pride and Prejudice in Revelation by Flannery O'Conner

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The vices of pride and prejudice are difficult to overcome; they are vices that are ingrained in the nature of human beings. In Revelation by Flannery O’Connor, Mrs. Turpin, a self righteous and frank character, suffers from those faults. It is a difficult task to think well of those who were given so much less than her, both mentally and in property. The Revelation described in the title is the revealing to her that the first shall be last and the last shall be first; that the people whom she is quick to judge and look down on, are greater than her in the kingdom of God.
Mrs. Turpin’s self-righteous view of society is apparent in her actions; her opinion and judgment is placed, unasked for, upon every creature with whom she comes in contact. She believes that her actions, decisions, and gifts make her superior to the ‘niggers’, ‘white trash’, and others who have less than her. Her first action, when entering new surroundings, is to judge the area and its occupants. “-she could not understand why a doctor - with as much money as they made just to stick their head in the hospital door and look at you - couldn’t afford a decent sized waiting room” ( Page 16). Mrs. Turpin’s first thoughts, in fact most of her thoughts, are judgments. In addition to placing judgment upon the waiting room and the doctor, she judges the inhabitants of the room, and sees them as lesser than herself. Repeatedly, whenever she meets someone, before even speaking, she judges them, mentally putting them in their place in the pecking order and assuring herself of how much better she is than they are. Flannery O’Connor uses this self- righteous view in Mrs. Turpin, to show how wrong this view is.
The book struck her directly above the eye. It struck almost at ...

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...hat He made her better than the niggers, white trash, and lunatics. To enter into heaven a person must be humble, the lowest of the low. The people, whom Mrs. Turpin views as respectable and worthy, are least in the kingdom of heaven; their pride and loftiness burned away. Mrs. Turpin understands the revelation fully, “she lowered her hands and gripped the rail of the hog pen, her eyes small but fixed unblinkingly on what lay ahead” (page 35). She is focused on what lies ahead and what she must accomplish; a changed person. Her eyes are focused on what she must accomplish.
Flannery O’Connor uses Mrs. Turpin to show the evils of prejudice and pride. One should always try not to judge others by their appearances, actions, or looks. Man was placed on this earth not to take dominion over others who might be seen as lower, but to serve others with humility and grace.

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