Revelation

In Flannery O'Connor's "Revelation," she introduces the main character, Mrs. Turpin, with some disliked characteristics. Mrs. Turpin is a middle-classed, property owning, happily married women. She believes that she is the perfect woman in every way under God's eyes. This remains until she is hit with reality by a young girl by the name of Mary Grace.

Mrs. Turpin is a highly egotistical elderly lady. She thinks very highly of herself. She does so by criticizing black people by saying, "but niggers don't want to pick cotton any more. You can't get the white folks to pick it and now you can't get the niggers-because they got to be right up there with the white folks" (42). This shows that she believes that she is over the black race and that black race can not strive for success in life. But to receive some sympathy for being this way and not to be credentialed as two-faced, she expresses her gratitude for the niggers by saying, "And when they come in from the field , I run out with a bucket of icewater"

Mrs. Turpin possesses self-righteous characteristics as well. She believes she is God's angel. Her actions and thoughts seem to help her believe that she always does and acts in the right manner. She is convinced that she is able to talk to Jesus. She thanks Jesus for everything she has been given and still believes that she is over other people. She thanks him by saying, "Thank you, Jesus, for making everything the way it is! It could have been different!" (101) She believes that he has given her the world unlike some other people. Mrs. Turpin is also very judgmental. She tends to analyze a person by his or her appearance within a couple of minutes. As she walked into the doctor's office, she tagged some harsh names to some people in the waiting room like "white trash" and "ugly girl" (22). She has not even talked to them and she starts