The queen of Southern fiction, Flannery O'Connor explores some of the most unique takes on religion that I have ever read. She is most well-known for her short stories, though her two novels are excellent too. Wiseblood, her first novel, is a classic tale of faith, but ironically the most faithful character in the story, Hazel Motes, seems to be faithful only to nihilism. The blind street preacher, Asa Hawks, is an imposter who can really see, and Enoch Emery, Hazel's foremost disciple, steals a mummified midget to serve as an idol in place of Jesus, an action which draws nothing but derision and contempt from Hazel. A terribly stern and complex story, it seems so surreal that it ends up coming off as austere. A remarkable achievement in American literature.
No comments:
Post a Comment