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Caroline Florence
A Vision from God: An Analysis of Flannery O’Connor’s “Revelation”
Ursuline Academy of Dallas
sdasilva@ursulinedallas.org
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In Flannery O’Connor’s “Revelation,” Ruby Turpin, a self-described devout Christian,
struggles to understand why Mary Grace passionately dislikes her. While Mrs. Turpin talks to
Mary Grace’s mother in the doctor’s waiting room, Mary Grace glares at Mrs. Turpin as she
shares her beliefs and faithfulness to God. Mary Grace’s dislike for Mrs. Turpin turns to violence
when she viciously attacks Mrs. Turpin, calling her a “warthog from hell.” Mrs. Turpin does not
understand why Mary Grace attacks her, a compassionate woman who is kind to everyone, even
black people, who she considers to be below her in social rank. While Ruby Turpin believes she
is a “good Christian” because she goes to church, firmly believes in God, and proudly professes
her faith, Mary Grace sees beneath this façade because she judges people different from her and
considers them inferior. Because Mrs. Turpin is ignorant of the unfairness of her judgment, she
needs a revelation and is offered a vision in order to gain understanding.
Mrs. Turpin expresses ignorance in her belief that she is a good Christian; her idea of a
Christian is a person who believes in God and is thankful to Him. She expresses her faith to the
people in the waiting room, letting them know that she is thankful for everything God gave her.
She expresses her gratitude so that all are aware of her piety, shouting, “’Oh thank you, Jesus,
Jesus thank you!’”(19). Because she brags about her faith, she is not truly the good Christian
woman that she thinks she is. She confuses expression of faith with living a Christian life.
Matthew 6:1 teaches that those who boast about their faith and good works will not be rewarded
by the Father in heaven. In the Bible, Jesus teaches his followers to discreetly practice their faith.
He condemns hypocrites for publically worshipping God instead of praying in their own privacy.
Mrs. Turpin also informs the people in the waiting room of her kindness to black people, even
though she believes they are inferior. She looks highly upon herself because helping people is
“her philosophy of life” (15). 1 John 4:20 teaches that those who do not love others do not truly
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love God, stating, “If anyone says ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who
does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God for whom he has not seen.” There is
more to religion than saying you love God; He desires His people to love all of His creation.
Christians recognize that every person is created and loved by God and is equal in His eyes.
Mary Grace calls Mrs. Turpin a “warthog from hell” because she recognizes her mean-spirited
hypocrisy. Mrs. Turpin believes she is a good Christian, but she is really like a “warthog from
hell,” devoid of true Christian virtues and ignorant of what it means to lead a Christian life.
Ruby Turpin mistakenly interprets how society works and where she fits in. She believes
in a simple world where everyone belongs in a distinct category. At the bottom of her hierarchy
lie “most colored people” and “white trash” (6). Above them are people who own homes. She
and her husband Claud belong in the next category, the home and land owners, and above her
and Claud are the rich and powerful. Mrs. Turpin is comfortable placing all humans in their
given categories, but she expresses uneasiness in the thought that some people do not neatly
belong in her classifications. At the idea of colored people owning property, “the complexity of
it [begins] to bear in on her” (6). By placing people in a hierarchy she sees fit, she derives selfesteem by declaring herself better than most people. As a result, she looks down upon those who
are below her in her social ladder.
Mary’s Grace’s use of warthogs is both purposeful and provocative. Although tough and
sturdy, warthogs are dirty, vile animals. The “white trash” woman in the waiting room expresses
disgust in the “[n]asty stinking things” (9). When Mrs. Turpin is compared to a warthog, she is
deeply troubled; she thinks others in the room are more fit to be compared to the filthy animal.
As a God-fearing woman, Mrs. Turpin cannot fathom being called such a horrendous name.
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In “Revelation,” Ruby Turpin receives two revelations, the first being from Mary Grace,
the “fat girl of eighteen or nineteen” who realizes that Mrs. Turpin is not truly the good Christian
she claims to be (4). While Mrs. Turpin talks to the girl’s mother, Mrs. Turpin senses that Mary
Grace is glaring at her out of hatred, “as if she had some very special reason for disliking her”
(8). Mary Grace’s name is significant because she is the only person in the waiting room given a
name. Her name symbolizes the grace that Mrs. Turpin ultimately receives through the
revelation. Because Mary Grace is full of grace, she recognizes Mrs. Turpin’s faults. After Mrs.
Turpin is attacked by Mary Grace, she begins to question herself. It is through Mary Grace that
Mrs. Turpin questions her ways and realizes her errors.
Eyes, an important symbol in the story, further reveal the identity of the characters. Mary
Grace’s bright blue eyes contrast with Mrs. Turpin’s “little bright black eyes” (1). Mary Grace’s
eyes, the window to her soul, represent her clarity and understanding of Mrs. Turpin’s ignorance.
Mary Grace opens her eyes to the world while Mrs. Turpin looks at the world shallowly. As Mrs.
Turpin speaks to Mary Grace’s mother, Mrs. Turpin feels Mary Grace’s “peculiar eyes” staring
at her, judging her imperfections (11). After the attack, Mary Grace’s eyes “open to admit light
and air,” foreshadowing the opening of Mrs. Turpin’s eyes in her revelation. Both Mary Grace
and Mrs. Turpin use their eyes to judge; however, Mrs. Turpin judges unfairly while Mary Grace
judges based on the truth.
Mrs. Turpin is offered a vision because she needs it to understand her ignorance. When
she publically proclaims her faith, she thinks she is being a good Christian, which is why she
struggles to understand why Mary Grace calls her a “warthog from hell.” 1 John 2:9 states that
“[w]hoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.” Ruby Turpin, who
claims that she is a follower of God but does not love and respect all people, lives in darkness.
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She is unable to understand the faults of her belief in the hierarchy she has created. Her
revelation shines light on the fact that all humans are equal to God. Visions are sometimes
offered to those who need them most, not necessarily those who deserve them. In the Book of
Acts, Saul, renamed Paul, is offered a vision that converts him from a persecutor of Christians to
a devout follower of Jesus. Even though he is not a virtuous man, God offers him a vision to
change his ways. Through the vision, he receives the grace he needs to change his lifestyle to
follow God. Like Paul, Mrs. Turpin’s perspective is changed after the revelation.
Flannery O’Connor’s religious beliefs influenced the themes of “Revelation.” She was a
devout Catholic who sympathized with Christians who were ignorant of the true meaning of
Christianity. O’Connor uses Mrs. Turpin as an example of this type of ignorant Christian.
O’Connor also believed that those who treated blacks unfairly did not understand the message of
God (“Flannery”). Though Mrs. Turpin believes she is a good Christian, she fails to see that
everyone, including blacks, is made in God’s image and therefore deserves respect. In
“Revelation,” O’Connor suggests that the bad people in the world may be the ones who are
offered visions because they need them. Mrs. Turpin may not be worthy of receiving God’s
grace, but she nonetheless receives a vision. Her perspective changes when God shows her the
way.
Although Ruby Turpin has a strong faith in God, she believes in a hierarchy where she, a
white landowner, is superior to blacks and “white trash.” Her vision reveals that all people are
equal in God’s eyes. Even though Mrs. Turpin is a rude and ignorant woman who does not
deserve a special vision from God, she receives God’s grace from the revelation. O’Connor uses
Ruby Turpin’s shocking vision to prove that salvation is for all, not just a select few. Perhaps
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Flannery O’Connor is suggesting that everyone needs grace, although only a very small
percentage of people are gifted with visions from God.
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Works Cited
"Flannery O’Connor." PBS. PBS, 20 Nov. 2009. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2009/11/20/november-20-2009-flanneryoconnor/5043/>.
"Revelations." The Antioch Review 30.1 (1970): 136-38. Web.