The Epiphany Machine By Burr Gerrard

Everybody has one consistent person with them throughout their entire lives: themselves. We as people spend every second of our lives inside of our own minds, analyzing all our thoughts and actions. Why is it so hard then to accurately and objectively judge our inner selves- especially our weaknesses? Author David Burr Gerrard tackles the subject of how accurate personal reflection is difficult for most people due to their fear of uncovering traits they do not want to accept about themselves. In his short story, “The Epiphany Machine”, Gerrard uses characterization and the exploration of conflict to demonstrate the difficulty of self analyzation of our weaknesses.
Venter, the main character represents the human population as a whole when

he struggles with both making the decision to discover more about himself, and then coming to terms with his weakness. Individual versus self conflict presents predominantly in the main character, although it sometimes manifests in individuals getting their tattoos. All of the characters are assumed to be struggling with the discovery of themselves. In the story, the epiphany machine and the tattoos it decorates onto those who use it are representative of internal reflection and the plight that self awareness can have on one’s view of themselves. An article written by Alyson M. Pompeo and Dana Heller Levitt states that “...self-awareness serves as a foundation for thoughtfully rendering decisions and taking actions,” (Pompeo 3). This observation indicates that although the realization of aspects of one’s person can be initially disturbing, it proves ultimately useful to one’s function as an individual and as a member of society, thus proving the machine to be brutal but necessary to Venters
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development as a character. Throughout the course of the story, the reader discovers many different conflicts Venter encounters. In the beginning, he shows concern for his grandmother's health and the whereabouts of his mother. After further progression in the story, the reader can sense his conflict in deciding whether or not he wants to get the tattoo. Finally, when he discovers what his tattoo says, he has possibly the most important conflict in the story. Like other characters in the beginning of the story, Venter struggles to come to terms with his epiphany and how it applies to his life. When he wrote, Gerrard realized that every person has experienced internal conflict in one way or another, therefore, the audience can easily relate to and identify with the main character and his struggle.
The author creates Venter to be relatable to a wide group of readers in order to create an emotional investment in the story.

As a main character, he relates to the audience and portrays a variety of characteristics in order for the readers to see themselves in him. The telling of the story from the first person point of view helps the readers imagine themselves in Venters situation. Venter initially expressed uncertainty about getting the tattoo. He acted outwardly cynical of the process when he says “I’m not going to use the epiphany machine,” (Gerrard). However, through many other small interactions, he reveals that he would like to discover his epiphany. “Can I just use the machine?” (Gerrard). After discovering what his tattoo said about him, Venter initially denys the words and behaves contemptuous of what the machine revealed. At the beginning of the story, Venter encounters a man who received the same tattoo leaving the apartment with a friend. His epiphany spelled out “dependent on the opinion of others,” and the man who had newly received it asked his friend for reassurance, further solidifying that he was, in fact, dependent on the opinion of others. When Venter observed this, he looked down upon the man, thinking to himself, “What a sad and pathetic man,” (Gerrard). At the end of the story, however, Venter himself struggles to come to terms with the very same epiphany.

Gerrard
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ironically illustrates his reaction to the tattoo in detailed phases.

Initially Venter finds himself shocked, and denys the tattoo as his true epiphany. In the end however, he reinforces his epiphany when he decides to show it off because he worries about what Adam would think if he covered it. “But then I realized that if I asked for a gauze pad, I would be showing Adam that I was worried what people would think about me.” (Gerrard). Venters decision to take the saran wrap instead of the gauze was entirely based on Adams opinion of him. Gerrard shows irony at the end of the story when Venter decides to stop caring about other people's opinions because he fears what some might think if he did

not.
The main purpose the tattoos serve in this world are as an awakening. By receiving a tattoo from the epiphany machine, it forces each citizen to face themselves. Most times, learning a hard truth about oneself can be highly beneficial to the development of one’s character and moral values. A Dictionary of Philosophy defines introspection as the “awareness by an individual of his own states and condition, with particular reference to his mental and emotional activity,” (Macmillan). After learning a difficult truth, many people will turn to introspection to find answers or comfort. The process of coming to terms with the epiphanies can be difficult because one discovers that one's perceived self does not fully line up with one's true self. Joel Smith outlines the distinctions between perception and introspection in a statement asserting that “...introspection is not a form of perception, so we do not introspectively perceive anything, including the self,” (Smith). We cannot outwardly sense and come to conclusion about our being and personality through introspection, therefore, perception can only be done by a third party that informs one of one’s more hidden traits. In the short story, the machine acts as that third party, bringing to attention aspects of an individual they may not have known themselves. The process of introspection can aid the development of self awareness in oneself and can assist an individual to pinpoint their weaknesses. In the story, the presence of the tattoo was there to represent what the
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characters were hiding within themselves. The reader can tell, even reading from the first person point of view, what issues the other characters were internally dealing with. In real life however, we do not have an epiphany machine to tell us what we need to consider within ourselves. The readers of The Epiphany Machine can identify and connect with Venter so strongly because the stages of emotion that he shows throughout the short time he occupies Adams apartment reflects some of the most common emotions people regularly experience and hide. The straightforward confrontation of the internal conflicts associated with self analyzation as well as the strong relatable main character work together in The Epiphany Machine to provoke deep thought and insight in the readers of the story, possibly even inspiring them to find their own epiphany.